Survival of the Fittest
by Sir Cameron Dragic
Summary: In the new world that MBI has created, Minato and his Sekirei Benitsubasa struggle to survive and to win the Sekirei Plan.
1. Chapter 1

**For anyone who read my previous story, this is not related at all. This is also not the canon universe. Hope you enjoy this new story.**

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Chapter 1

Benitsubasa let her legs dangle over the edge of her favorite vantage point and ran a hand through her pink hair. It was a firehouse before the lockdown of Tokyo started. Now, it was just another building riddled with the scars of war. Benitsubasa didn't know what drew her to it. It was likely the brilliant red bricks that made up the wall. She figured a place as noticeable as this would be the best place to find her Ashikabi.

So far though, her search had not yielded any results. The only humans that came by the firehouse were quickly slaughtered by the local gang. She grimaced as another unsuspecting man was noticed for intruding on the gang's turf. The man was scrounging through some trash cans presently.

At this point, food was scarce for those without the power to seize it. Of course she never had to worry about food, but she knew that the local gang did. They would not take kindly to someone stealing their food. He instantly began to run when he noticed several pairs of eyes looking at him. The man was fast, but not fast enough. He taken down by his ankles and landed face first into the pavement. He was trying to apologize for intruding, but his apologies fell on deaf ears. He now was being kicked on all sides by four gang members.

She had seen enough when he began coughing up blood. She knew how it would ultimately end. He would be just another dead body that would be searched for valuables, then dumped into the garbage can.

"Why don't they ever try to fight back?" She wondered aloud as she deftly climbed down the roof and into the open window of the firehouse. She had converted the top floor of the firehouse into her home. The stairs to the garage were blocked by a large amount of debris. She had kept the interior basically the same, but she had brought in a mattress in from a local furniture store to sleep on.

There was a small living room area connected to the kitchen area, which she had found to be heavily stocked with canned food. The living room itself was relatively ordinary. There was a small green couch that was opposite from the sole television. Not that she really used it. She saw enough every day and didn't want to be reminded of the carnage in Tokyo. There was a small bookshelf with a few classic novels and assorted magazines next to the couch. She had laid out her mattress right in front of the couch. The most noticeable feature of the room was the fire pole next to the kitchen. She had covered up the hole with some planks of wood she found in a hardware store.

There was a small bathroom where she took showers. She was lucky to stumble upon one of the few buildings left in the city that still had running water and electricity. The entire floor was covered by a cheap blue carpet that she thought might have once been a brilliant sapphire, but was now a dull navy blue from the abuse it had taken over the years. She closed the window and covered it with a heavy curtain, so no one would be able to tell that she had electricity.

She made her way to the light switch and snapped on the lights, illuminating the dark room. She walked over to the kitchen, where she grabbed a small can of tomato sauce. With her gargantuan strength, she took the top of the can off without a can opener and poured it into a small pan on the stove. She turned on the stove and put a small pot filled with water on. She opened up the box of pasta she had eaten for lunch and poured the rest in. As the water boiled, she pulled out the pasta and placed it on a clean plate. She took the pan and poured the sauce on top. She usually tried to save the sauce, but she had not eaten any sauce for a week, so she decided that she should treat herself.

She was about to take a bite when she heard a commotion outside. She quickly turned off the lights, so as to not attract attention and she peered out of the window.

"What do you think you're doing kid?"

"Leave her alone!" The black haired teen stood protectively in front of a blue haired teen.

"Come on. You need to pay the price for trespassing. Tell you what? Give her to us and we'll let you go." The man took out his switchblade and made a show of waving it around.

"Yukari, get out of here." The teen whispered.

"No Minato, you can't do this." Yukari begged.

He pulled her up to her feet and pushed her away from the men, "I promised to take care of you. Get out of here." She nodded and ran off.

"Do you think you can take us?" Another gang member asked while picking up a crowbar.

"I don't have to, I just have to buy her enough time." His gray eyes had a steely gaze that showed no fear. However, his shaking hands betrayed him.

"I know you're scared." The man with the knife stated.

"I'm not scared of you, you're just a bunch of thugs!" Minato spat.

Benitsubassa had to admit, she was pretty impressed by his bravery. In fact, she could definitely feel something radiating from him.

_Oh God, I'm not reacting to him am I? He's just some random guy who decided to stand up to these guys. He can't be anything special._

He was now being rushed by three gang members, utterly defenseless. He tried to swing at one of them, but his arm was met with a knife.

"Ah!" Minato cried out as the knife pierced his skin. He had no time to dwell on the pain as he was struck across the face by a crowbar. He keeled over and coughed up a bit of blood. He felt a foot fly into his back and send him to the ground.

He could hear the men chuckling at him.

"Come on, get up. The last guy we fought at least put up a fight."

Minato could feel the adrenaline fueling his actions now. He got up to his feet and swung wildly at the men. For his efforts, he was rewarded with a boot to the gut.

"You're persistent, I'll give you that."

_Is this how I'm going out? I wish I could see Yukari out of this mess. At least she got away for now._

Benitsubasa had seen enough. She quickly hopped out of her window and landed behind the three men.

"All right, you've had your fun, now leave him alone."

"Are you telling us what to do?" The man tried to intimidate her with his knife, but she wasn't impressed.

"All right, you don't want to listen? Fine." Benitsubasa grabbed the man's wrist and slowly squeezed, reveling as his wrist cracked, indicating that it was being fractured. The knife dropped from his hand and his other hand flew to his wrist to try and pry open Benitsubasa's iron grip, but to no avail.

As another rushed at her, she let go of the man and delivered a roundhouse kick to the gang member's head, reducing him to a heap on the ground.

The last gang member dropped his crow bar and ran away as his two friends groaned in pain.

Minato couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Are you an angel or something?" He asked.

Benitsubasa blushed at what she took as a compliment. "No. But thank you. I'm actually Benitsubasa."

"Minato." He replied.

She kneeled down next to the teen, grabbed his arm and looked it over. As her hand met his skin, her heart began to beat faster and she felt a small spark.

"You're lucky that it was just a cut. What were you thinking?" She asked.

"I had to protect my sister, I had no choice but to stand up to these guys." He said weakly.

"You almost died out there. You aren't strong enough to take on three armed thugs."

"I was scared, but I couldn't just stand there and let them do something to Yukari." He retorted.

"You're brave, I'll give you that. Stupid, but brave."

Minato smiled at the half compliment before blacking out. Benitsubasa slung his unconscious form over her shoulder and leaped back to her room. She gently set him down on her mattress as she went to the bathroom to look for gauze.

She found what she was looking for and returned to apply it. As she wrapped his bleeding arm up, she took a look at his face. His face was a little thin and smudged with dirt. She figured that living in the warzone outside would do that to him. He was probably underfed and clearly had not taken a shower in quite some time. Despite this, his face still bore a peaceful expression that Benitsubasa found both calming and attractive.

_Wait, there's no way I can be thinking that way about him. I barely know him!_

Her now neglected dinner sat on the dinner table, ignored as Benitsubasa continued to study the teen lying in her room. She decided to take off his brown fur jacket, which now had a hole in the right sleeve, leaving him in a while t shirt and jeans. She decided to take off his shirt, to make sure he wasn't hurt of course.

His body wasn't very strongly built. Although he did have a toned body, he was still slim and didn't have any bulging muscles. Still, his body was able to take the beating it received rather well, so it had to be pretty strong.

She looked back at his face again, wondering what it would be like to kiss him. She had never kissed anyone before, but for some reason, she felt drawn to this man. Her body felt like it was on fire now.

Minato's eyes fluttered open and he found himself face to face with the beautiful woman who had saved him earlier.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he realized she was extremely close to him.

"Nothing." She quickly pulled back from him, and instantly, her body cooled down.

He sat up and looked around at the room he was lying in.

"Is this your house?" He asked.

"Yeah, I kinda found this little place a while back."

"It's got electricity." He said as he realized that the room was brightly lit.

"Yeah, and running water." She said. His eyes sparkled at that fact.

"Is there a shower?" He asked.

She pointed to her bathroom, "Right there."

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

He got up and quickly left to take a shower. Benitsubasa was then left alone to her thoughts.

_Did I really almost kiss him? I can't believe I would do that. Granted, he's pretty hot, but still! He's kind of a weakling. He's definitely not strong enough to be my Ashikabi._

Minato felt his muscles release their tension as the hot water poured down on him. For a moment, he forgot that he was stuck in the middle of a warzone. He could almost remember his old home. He had moved away two years ago to take the college entrance exams in Tokyo. Unfortunately, he had failed two years in a row.

Then it happened. MBI took over the city and martial law was enforced. In order to stop MBI, the government of Japan refused to send any supplies, hoping to starve MBI. However, MBI had carried on for five months now, and there was never any mention of relenting to the Japanese government in the weekly updates by MBI's CEO, Minaka Hiroto.

He constantly talked about the Sekirei Plan, which every Tokyo citizen had heard of by now. Although the original Sekirei Plan called for matches between Ashikabi for something called Jinki, which was one of the things Minaka hadn't elaborated on, Minaka decided to scrap that part of the plan because he thought a battle royal would be more entertaining. Obviously, the ones who would be strong enough to win this would be the Ashikabi. He knew about the various Ashikabi and how they controlled the city now. It all made him sick.

"Why should anyone get to abuse others just because they have a Sekirei?" He muttered.

As took a shower, he had no idea that Benitsubasa was trying to listen in.

_He's idealistic, but that's going to come back and haunt him. I wonder what he would do if he got a taste of the power the Ashikabi possesses. Will he be like the others, or will he stick to his beliefs? Even if he isn't my Ashikabi, he's interesting. No matter what, I'm going to keep my eye on him._

She stepped away from the door right as Minato stepped out wearing nothing but a towel. Benitsubasa took one more look at his body.

"Do you happen to have any clean clothes?" He asked.

"I think that they're some extras by the fire pole, there are some small lockers next to it."

Minato searched through the locker until he found spare underwear, a white t shirt and jeans, and a blue jacket.

He returned to find Benitsubasa wolfing down her dinner. He took a seat across from her at the plastic table. His close proximity suddenly made her heart beat faster and she felt warm.

"For a small woman, you eat a lot." He remarked.

"Well, I need to keep my strength up, I am a Sekirei after all." Minato instantly backed up at that fact.

Benitsubasa put down her fork, "What?"

"You're a Sekirei." He stated.

"So what?" She realized that he probably didn't trust Sekirei very much. The Ashikabi used the Sekirei as enforcers most of the time, so he probably had a few bad experiences.

"Don't worry, I'm not like the others. I don't have an Ashikabi to carry out orders for." She reassured.

He moved his seat back and frowned, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed anything about you. After all, you did save my life."

"No problem. You wouldn't have survived this long if you were too trusting." She returned to eating.

Minato saw a few strands of pink hair fall over her face as she ate. For some reason, he felt an urge to brush it out of the way. He reached his hand over to her face and moved the hair back into place, touching her ever so lightly. He noticed that she instantly shuddered a bit at his touch.

"You're pretty sensitive, huh?" He asked.

She looked up at him with a blush on her cheeks, "Yeah, you could say that."

_What did he do that for? His touch was so nice though. Ah! What am I thinking? He's not my Ashikabi, he just can't be!_

"So why haven't you found an Ashikabi yet?" Minato asked, snapping her from her thoughts.

"I never met the right person." She replied.

"Well, I guess I should help you find someone, I owe that much to you." He said, offering his help.

"I'm okay."

Minato looked confused, "I thought every Sekirei wanted to be winged."

Benitsubasa didn't answer him.

"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine." He said.

"How would you feel about being an Ashikabi?" She asked.

"Why do you ask that?"

Benitsubasa looked away, "I'd rather not say."

She got up and walked over to her couch. Minato followed closely behind.

"What are you hiding from me?" He asked as he put a hand on her shoulder. She shuddered again at his touch.

"The truth is, I think that maybe there's a chance that you could possibly be my Ashikabi." She said quickly.

"Wait, me? Why me? I thought Ashikabi were supposed to be strong."

"I don't know, but every time I see you, my heart beats faster, and every time you touch me, I feel like I'm on fire. I've never reacted to anyone before, but no one has ever made me feel like this."

"I'm just a regular guy though."

"You're not! You are my Ashikabi!" Her hands flew to her mouth.

_Why am I defending him? Everything he's said so far is right._

"Thank you, but I don't think I deserve to be one. What do I have that everyone else in here doesn't have?"

"You were willing to lay down your life out there for your sister. And when I listened to you in the bathroom, I could tell that you have admirable ideals. I know you don't think highly of yourself, but I do."

_This is really weird. I never would've said this stuff to anyone else._

"You do?"

She nodded without hesitation, "Yes."

"And you're sure you want me to be your Ashikabi?"

She nodded again without hesitation, "Yes."

"Then I guess I don't have any choice but to accept."

"Really? You want to be my Ashikabi?"

Minato slowly nodded, "Yes. So how does that happen?"

"Like this." She slowly leaned into him, and as she did, she felt her body get hotter every inch she got closer to him. She was on fire now, only an inch separated their lips.

Minato had never kissed anyone before, but he tried to lean in, like how he saw in the movies.

Their lips met and instantly, Benitsubasa felt relief course throughout her body. The heat in her body began pooling up at her back, and then it was released in the form of wings of brilliant light.

"Are those wings? I heard about sparks flying, but I didn't think that wings would appear." Minato said.

"It just means that you are my Ashikabi. You winged me."

"Do you mind if I try something?" Minato asked.

"What do you have in mind?" Benitsubasa asked.

Minato cupped her face and gave her a gentle and caring kiss.

"Hm, no wings this time." He observed. Before she could reply, the television flickered to life.

"Congratulations! You finally winged someone." Minaka cried out.

"What do you mean finally?" Minato asked, but Minaka ignored him and plowed on.

"You are now part of the Sekirei Plan. You might be a late participant, but better late than never! As you know, Tokyo is the home of a battle royal between Sekirei right now. The rules are simple. Be the last one standing and you win! I expect a lot out of you Minato, so don't disappoint."

The television turned off and Minato took a seat on the couch.

"So we will have to fight other Sekirei, won't we?"

She nodded in response.

"I don't know if we can do this." He buried his face in his hands.

Benitsubasa curled up to her new Ashikabi, "Don't worry, I'll do everything I can to make sure we win."

Minato looked at her, "I promise I will too."

She gave a yawn and rested her head on his chest. Minato studied her sleeping face and smiled at her calm expression.

"What am I getting myself into?"

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**I would really appreciate any response I could get. For those who were hoping for a harem story, I'll warn you right now that this is not one. Minato will have one, maybe two more Sekirei. I wrote a harem story before, and I'll admit that I didn't like writing it as much as I like writing this story, so you can feel free to suggest which Sekirei Minato should wing, but only one Sekirei, maybe two will get chosen. Also, another warning. I won't be updating at the same pace I did with my other story. It will likely be updated once, maybe twice a week until September, and then the uploads will slow down even more.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who put in their suggestions. Just to make it clear, the other Sekirei I add to Minato's squad will not be romatic interests. Benitsubasa will be Minato's romantic interest because she is my personal favorite Sekirei, and she shouldn't be stuck in some harem. And before I get anything about this, yes, some people in the Discipline Squad really don't belong with that crowd, but there's a reason for that. I didn't just stick those people inside randomly. darkDow, Yukari is still in this story, she won't be the focus, but she is in the story. At this point, I don't know if she'll be integral or not. That remains to be seen.**

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Chapter 2

"Takehito, I can't stand it anymore!" Miya snapped at her husband, "Those Sekirei out there shouldn't be fighting each other. I didn't save them for that!"

Takehito stared into the dining table, trying not to look at his wife. His hands gripped the tea cup he was drinking from tightly as he tried to think about the situation rationally. He hated seeing the Sekirei that he had helped to adjust being used as nothing more than fighting machines. The Sekirei were meant for much more than that.

"I know Miya, but as long as Minaka has the Discipline Squad, we can't risk going after them right now. If you fought them, you'd cause a lot more damage than you would prevent, you know that." The silver haired man replied.

Miya sighed. He was right. The entire Discipline Squad besides her had stayed with MBI, not to mention a few extra Sekirei had joined it. She knew that she could beat all of them, but not without a large amount of residual damage. Just to rescue Takehito from the Discipline Squad, she had leveled two city blocks.

For now, she and Takehito could only try to help whoever they could at Izumo Inn, until Minaka made a mistake that they could capitalize on. At this point, Izumo Inn was the home of the rebellion against MBI. Takehito had gone out and tried to recruit some other Ashikabi to fight MBI, but most of them were enraptured by their power and did not want to return to their normal lives. He had to admit, he could understand their reasoning. In the normal world, most of them were just ordinary citizens with no outstanding characteristics, but in here, they were exceptional individuals because they could wing Sekirei, giving them more power than most of them had ever had before. He could understand why they liked the way things were. Maybe he didn't agree with them, but at least he could understand them.

"We've got someone else coming in." Seo, her husband's best friend, walked into the dining room.

"Did Homura bring in another?" Takehito asked.

Seo nodded, "Yeah, you might want to go check on him."

Takehito walked out, leaving Miya and Seo alone in the dining room.

"I heard you guys." Seo said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Did you?" She snapped angrily.

"Don't be mad with Takehito, I know it's as hard for him as it is for you." Seo said as he left the room, leaving Miya alone with her thoughts.

Before she really could think, Takehito returned with an unconscious silver haired boy, followed by Homura.

"Where did you find him?" He asked the silver haired man.

"He was just lying in the park."

Takehito quickly inspected the boy, who was wearing a torn dress shirt.

"Looks like the work of Yomi. He doesn't look to be physically injured, but he has to be pretty shaken up by this experience." Takehito informed the others as the boy slowly opened his eyes and looked around.

"Are you okay?" He asked the boy, who nodded in response.

"What's your name kid?" Seo asked.

"Shiina." Suddenly he sat up. "Where did she go?"

"Who?" Takehito asked.

"The girl who saved me. She came in and kicked Mikogami in a place I'd rather not name. She made them leave me alone. Where is she?" He asked frantically.

"What's so important about this girl anyways?" Seo asked.

"She's my Ashikabi."

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"I'm starting to doubt this." Kazehana said as she took a swig from a bottle of sake.

"The Discipline Squad?" Mutsu asked as he took a seat at the bar that Minaka had provided for them on their floor of MBI Tower. Their floor was used as a giant apartment for the Discipline Squad and Natsuo, their handler, although they didn't see him very often, as his job as a clerk kept him busy most days. Still, Mutsu had his doubts about their handler's true whereabouts. It seemed like he was always busy, but whether he was actually working or whether he was plotting something, he didn't know yet.

Natsuo honestly wasn't doing a good job. He hadn't bothered to wing any of them yet. In fact, he seemed completely disinterested in all of the Sekirei except for him, which Mutsu found a little uncomfortable. He was pretty sure that Natsuo didn't swing that way, but then again, he did catch Natsuo staring at him when Matsu and Akitsu were practically offering themselves up to him.

And there was the time when Natsuo walked in on Kazehana and Karasuba changing and completely ignored them. Anyone else probably would have experienced at least some blood loss at that point. Even Mutsu, who tried his best not to think about the other Sekirei in that way, had to admit that he would've been turned on by that. After all, he had once walked in on Kazehana taking a shower and almost passed out from the blood loss. He couldn't even imagine how he would've reacted to both Kazehana and Karasuba, who was attractive in her own psychotic way.

He turned his attention back to Kazehana, who motioned with her hands, "Everything."

Mutsu nodded in agreement. Lately, he had been doubting his choice to stay with the Discipline Squad. Honestly, he felt bad about forcing his fellow Sekirei to fight each other. He didn't know exactly what they were meant for, but he knew that it was a whole lot more than to be pawns in the game of a madman. Yume constantly told him about how the Sekirei were meant to love, but he wasn't sure if that answer made sense. He had considered just leaving MBI Tower and searching for his answers, but he knew that would be inviting trouble unless someone like Karasuba or Kazehana was willing to leave with him.

"Just because you got dumped by Minaka doesn't mean you can drink on the job." Karasuba snapped as she grabbed the sake bottle out of Kazehana's hands. She sighed, not understanding how anyone, much less Kazehana, could be attracted to that madman. It was hard to see Kazehana upset because although she hated everyone in the Discipline Squad, she hated Kazehana and Mutsu the least. Still, a little tough love never hurt anyone.

"Just forget about him. He's not that great anyways. I'm available if you're interested you know." Matsu said suggestively as she tried to snake an arm around Kazehana's shoulder.

"We all know, you tell us every day." Mutsu replied as he pulled Kazehana's chair closer to him and out of the reach of Matsu. Although he respected everyone in the Discipline Squad, he found Matsu's constant advances to be irritating, to say the least.

Matsu threw her hands up in the air, "That's because no one takes me up on it!" She then spotted Tsukiumi, who had just entered the apartment oddly smelling of smoke, and quickly made her way to her. Mutsu observed that Tsukiumi was in a better mood than usual and upon closer inspection, her hair and kimono were a bit disheveled. While he didn't think too much about it, he did make a mental note to keep an eye on Tsukiumi.

"Could you guys keep it down? I'm trying to watch TV over here! It's the last episode, I can't miss a second of this." Haihane yelled. Akitsu and Saki nodded in agreement from their spots on the couch.

Mutsu sat back into his seat, "Kazehana, have you ever thought about just leaving this place?"

She was currently looking for another bottle of sake under the bar, but poked her head up at Mutsu's question, "It's crossed my mind before. Why do ask?"

"Are you planning an escape or something?" Yume asked as she sat down beside Mutsu.

He stared out of the window next to the bar. It was completely black, save for a few stars. Tokyo had been largely without electricity for about two months, when fighting by Sekirei had taken out enough wires to cut off most of the city from electricity. It was a little hard to think that the Sekirei had done all of this, but it was the truth. Although Karasuba found the sight of a Tokyo without light relaxing, he found it unnerving. It was a constant reminder to the bleakness of their situation.

"No reason."

* * *

Minato awoke to find Benitsubasa lying on top of his chest. She was wearing her usual black kimono and her hair was not held up as usual. When it wasn't held up by the usual daisy clips, her hair was still really beautiful. He slowly ran a hand through her hair and heard her sigh in her sleep. He smiled. She was clearly having a pleasant dream.

How did he get to this? Just a few months ago, he was trying to figure out what he would be doing to study for his third college entrance exam. Now he was an Ashikabi in the warzone that used to be Tokyo. Back in Tokyo, he was just a nobody with no future. He was now somebody inside, with a limitless future. As much as he hated the situation he was in, he had to admit, his old life was more frightening. The possibility that he might not have any future was infinitely more frightening than being a participant in a battle royal. At least in here, he had something to work towards. He actually owed a lot to the Sekirei Plan. It was an interesting notion, in its own way. If his world had never been destroyed, he would not have had anything to work towards. Funny how much having a little power meant in this new world.

His moment of bliss was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass. Benitsubasa instantly sprung to her feet. A brick lay next to the window, surrounded by shattered glass.

"What the hell was that?" Minato asked. Benitsubasa rushed over to the window and took a look outside. She quickly cursed and fished her daisy clips out of her pockets, then proceeded to quickly clip up her hair.

"It's the same gang that beat you up yesterday." She said as she prepared to jump out of the window, "I've had it up to here with them. Now they're going to pay."

"Do we have to fight them? Can't we settle this peacefully?" He asked.

She shook her head, "You can try, but they won't listen to reason. The only thing these men understand is violence. The sooner you understand that, the better." She knew that Minato would hate that answer, but it was the truth.

"Wait a second." Minato grabbed her arm, "If you're going, I'm not letting you go out there alone."

"It's not safe." She retorted.

"You said that Ashikabi give Sekirei orders. So this is an order." Minato said.

Benitsubasa sighed, "Fine, but if you get your ass kicked, don't blame me."

She put his hands around her waist and leaped out into the streets. Minato glanced around quickly and saw that there were eight men surrounding them.

Not wasting any time, Benitsubasa immediately grabbed one man by the arm and tossed him into a nearby window, shattering the glass. He opened his eyes just in time to see Benitsubasa's foot coming down at his head.

Another sneaked up behind her, but was met by a vicious right hook to the face. He stumbled back and a foot to the gut sent him flying into the street. Benitsubasa then slammed the ground, creating a small shockwave that made the remaining men stumble. Taking advantage of that, Minato tackled one to the ground and did his best to land any punches he could.

He was quickly grabbed by his collar and thrown into several garbage cans. He saw two men armed with baseball bats coming towards him with grins plastered on their faces. He grabbed the nearest object and tossed it.

One man fell to the ground in pain as a loose piece of concrete flew into his face, dropping his bat.

"You're going to pay for that." The other man growled. Minato dove for the bat. As soon as it was in his grasp, he whipped around and swung the bat, hitting the man square in the chest. Without hesitation, Minato brought it down on his back, knocking him to the ground.

His chest heaved as he stood above the man, who was lying face down on the concrete.

"Well? Aren't you going to kill me now?" He asked.

"No, I'm not that kind of man." Minato tossed his bat to the ground.

"Then you're as dumb as you look." The man got to his feet and tackled Minato to the ground. He raised his arm up in the air, but before he could bring it down on Minato, he was thrown into a wall, meeting the brick with a loud crack. He joined the other seven men, who lay dead in the street.

Benitsubasa stood angrily over Minato, "I already told you, these men don't understand anything but violence. Why didn't you kill him when you had the chance?"

"I couldn't do it. That's not who I am." He replied.

She pointed to the dead man, "You could've been killed. That man would not have had any mercy if your places were switched."

"Well that's the problem, isn't it? We live in a world without any mercy, it makes me sick."

Benitsubasa pulled him up to her face by his collar, "You're being too idealistic. It's nice to have hopes, but if you're going to get killed if you aren't realistic." He could see the concern in her eyes now, "And I don't know what I would do if you died. You might not have a problem throwing your life away, but what about me? Did you ever stop to think about what you mean to others?"

Minato was shocked at her words. He honestly had no idea how to reply. She let go of him and let him drop to the ground.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that."

Minato felt terrible now, "No, it's my fault. You're right, I really can't hope to survive without fighting, but I still can't kill anyone. And Benitsubasa, I had no idea you really felt that way about me."

"Of course I do, I never would have reacted to you if you didn't mean something to me."

Benitsubasa felt two arms wrap around her waist and a head rest in the crook between her neck and her shoulder.

"I just want you to know that I feel the same way. I know we've only known each other for two days, but for some reason, I feel closer to you than I've ever felt with anyone." Minato whispered as he buried his head into her shoulder.

Minato looked up from her shoulder, "Duck!" He cried out, knocking both of them to the floor.

Benitsubasa saw a trident where her head was a moment ago. She quickly pushed Minato off of her and stood protectively in front of him.

In front of her stood a woman in a red dress and white jacket surrounded by tridents. Behind the woman stood a man wearing glasses and dressed in a suit. His hair was black and he had a controlling presence, along with a serious expression.

"These men were disposable, but finding good help right now is such a bother, so I'm afraid that you'll have to pay for this." The woman fired three more tridents at Benitsubasa, who pushed Minato back to the ground before deftly dodging them.

"Who are you?" Minato asked.

"Kakizaki, although I am here on behalf of Mr. Izumi. This is number 54, Kuruse." The man replied.

Kuruse rushed forward with her tridents pointed at Benitsubasa. She sent a shockwave in the direction of Kuruse, knocking her off of her feet. Before she could get up, Benitsubasa was upon her, pelting her with punches. However, Kuruse sent four tridents at Benitsubasa, pinning her to a wall.

"Let her go!" Minato grabbed the bat he had dropped earlier and swung it full force at Kuruse's head, knocking her to the ground. He quickly pulled out three tridents holding back Benitsubasa. As he was about to pull out the fourth, he was tossed aside by Kuruse. Benitsubasa saw his unconscious form lying in a pile of boxes and a bloodlust overtook her.

Benitsubasa quickly freed herself and delivered a punch full force into the side of Kuruse, who turned and fired a trident in her direction. Benitsubasa rolled underneath the trident and swept out Kuruse's legs, knocking her to the ground. As Kuruse tried to stand back up, she felt a foot drive her back to the floor. She summoned tridents and sent them at Benitsubasa, who quickly backflipped out of their way.

"Extreme Quake!" Benitsubasa cried out as she caused an earthquake that knocked Kuruse into the air. In a swift motion, Benitsubasa grabbed her legs in the air and tossed her into a streetlight with enough force to snap it in half. She grabbed one half of the broken streetlight and swung it full force at the dazed Sekirei.

Kuruse could feel her breath being knocked out of her as the streetlight met her back. She heard a crack and knew from the pain that surged through her body that her back was broken. She attempted to stand up, but a swift kick to the back of her head prevented that.

"You're going to pay for hurting him." Benitsubasa said coldly as she reached down and placed her hands around Kuruse's head. Without hesitation, she twisted, quickly snapping Kuruse's neck. She let her lifeless form fall on the ground.

She turned to do the same to Kakizaki, but he had disappeared in the middle of the fight.

Kakizaki had instinctively run the moment he saw Minato get tossed aside. Higa had already kept tabs on her for a while as a candidate for winging, so he knew that she had an explosive temper. Once he was sure that he was far enough away from her, he flipped out his cell phone. Before he could call, he felt a sudden and severe pain in his neck that brought him to his knees. A feeling like that could only mean that Kuruse had been terminated, and violently at that.

After a minute, Kakizaki found the strength to dial his boss.

"So? Did you deal with them?" Higa snapped.

"Sorry, they terminated 54 and I had to run away just to survive."

"Useless, well, at least they got rid of a worthless Sekirei. It'll prevent future failures due to Kuruse's incompetence." Kakizaki frowned a little at Higa. He was quick to cast aside anyone once they stopped being useful to him. He was careful not to get on his bad side, or he would be useless to Higa.

"I need to advise you right now, they are ruthless and extremely dangerous. I don't think we should act against them yet." Kakizaki advised.

He heard Higa curse on the other end, no doubt frustrated by his advice.

"Fine, just back as soon as you can. And let me warn you, if you fail me again, I will have no mercy towards you."

Before Kakizaki could respond, Higa hung up. His shoulder slumped in defeat. Higa was not exaggerating when he said he would have no mercy.

* * *

**I know that Sekirei don't kill each other usually, but I think that in a more brutal setting, they would have to, or at least, be more willing to. Also, I was wondering, what do you guys think about Sekirei romances? Do you think that they can work? I'm a bit partial to Mutsu finding someone, after all, he seems like he could use some love. I've always thought that Mutsu and Homura could have a lot of romances, but a lot of people don't seem to be interested in that. Do you guys want any, or would that be weird? It wouldn't really interfere with Minato because Minato's main romance is Benitsubasa, so leave your thoughts on that please! As always, I would appreciate any reviews.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Since nobody responded to my question, I will assume that you are all okay with Sekirei romances. While some of you might have hoped for Minato to have more than one romance, this is a universe with monogamy, so while he won't have too many romantic interests, his and others' Sekirei will have romances to make up for it. Also, to prevent any criticism later on, Tsukiumi might be OOC and I won't write her dialogue any differently than anyone else. As she is not a key character, I'm using her to do some things in the plot, at the expense of her being OOC. Thank you to those who reviewed chapter 2, it means a lot.**

* * *

Chapter 3

"So you came." Tsukiumi whipped around, trying to find the owner of the voice. She was currently standing in an abandoned warehouse near the edge of Tokyo. She was standing under the sole light of the warehouse, allowing the owner of the voice a perfect view of her.

"Come out!" She cried out.

She took a step backwards and felt herself hitting flesh. She whirled around to see who she had been looking for.

"I wasn't sure if you would come." Homura said with a smirk.

"Of course I did." Tsukiumi said with a smirk as well, "I know that you can't live without seeing me."

Homura pressed up to her body with his own and gave her an intense kiss. He could feel her trying to wrap her hands around his shoulders and quickly pulled away. She was clearly disappointed by the loss of contact.

He chuckled, "Looks like you're the one who can't live without me."

"No way, you're nothing special." She said stubbornly. Although she knew she was lying, she would never concede defeat to him.

"Oh, I guess I should just leave then." Homura walked away dejectedly, feigning defeat.

"Wait." Homura stopped in his tracks and smirked. He knew she had fallen for him. After all, he had pulled out every trick in his arsenal. He had worked as a host for a few weeks before Tokyo went into a lockdown and had learned all of the tricks quickly.

He felt her hand on his shoulder. He turned around and put his sad expression back on.

"You know I didn't really mean that. You are special to me." Tsukiumi said as she gave him a chaste kiss.

"Then why don't you come with me? We could just run away together and forget the Sekirei Plan." He pleaded.

She didn't want to tell him no, after all, he was clearly in love with her, but she couldn't just leave Tokyo and risk having the Discipline Squad chase after them. "You know I can't. My job is keeping me here."

"Screw your job! If they don't understand that we're in love, then that's their problem." Homura said as he pulled her tight.

She sighed, he never really thought ahead, "It's not that simple. If we leave, the Discipline Squad will be after us."

His face lit up as he made a realization, "Come join us at Izumo then! Miya could keep us safe from the Discipline Squad."

She had to admit, Miya really was strong enough to protect the two of them. It was still risky though.

"I really hate not being able to see you every day. And it kills me when I have to fight you. I know that I always miss with my fireballs, but it still kills me to even be throwing them at you. Every time they even come at you, I feel like a little part of me is dying inside. Please promise me, just think about it." Homura begged.

Tsukiumi nodded, "I'll give it some thought."

"Can I get one more hug before you go?" Homura asked. Looking at the anticipation on his face, Tsukiumi was powerless to say no and hugged him in a tight embrace.

He smirked. He knew how loyal Tsukiumi could be. Once he heard about how bad of an Ashikabi Natsuo was, he knew that he would be able to get Tsukiumi's loyalty. She was attractive, he had to admit, but he didn't love her. Right now, she was nothing more than an asset. Although he felt bad about using her, Takehito needed any help he could get to fight Minaka. And if they could beat Minaka, that meant that Chiho could leave Tokyo. Although Chiho was treated by MBI already, he still didn't want her around such a stressful situation. He knew that Minaka had treated just so she could entertain him, the thought of her being used so callously made him clench his fists in rage.

He would do anything to help Chiho to escape this madness. She was the ideal Ashikabi for any Sekirei, and although he had no romantic feelings toward her, she was the most important person in the world to him. All he wanted was to see her to safety. She was too fragile to help them fight, but that only motivated him more. He desperately wanted to help her lead a normal life, and he didn't care who he would have to hurt to make that happen. Even if that meant that he had to manipulate the feelings of Tsukiumi.

* * *

Mutsu paced outside of Kazehana's room as he debated whether he should go inside or not.

"Can't sleep?" He was surprised to see Yume up in the middle of the night.

"Just got a lot on my mind." He replied.

Yume walked him over to the bar, "Same here."

"What's on your mind?" Mutsu asked as he took a seat. He never really talked to Yume, but he did know that she once tried to rescue two Sekirei, but had failed to rescue one of them and blamed herself ever since. Karasuba had told him, as they were the only ones who went on that mission.

Yume sat down next to him, "The same stuff. I really wish I could do more to stop the Sekirei from fighting each other. But in the Discipline Squad, I feel like I'm forcing them to fight more than anything. I honestly think that I shouldn't stay here. I should just leave and go help our fellow Sekirei."

Mutsu nodded, "I feel that way sometimes too."

"You know, you and I are more alike than I had thought."

"I guess so." Mutsu replied, Kazehana forgotten.

"Well, I better get to bed now. I've got a lot to do tomorrow." Yume said as she stood up and disappeared into her room, leaving Mutsu alone. He stared out of the window once more. Were the answers he was looking for out there after all? He didn't know, but what he did know was that he had a better chance of finding his answers out there than he did in the Discipline Squad. And apparently Yume felt the same way.

"I saw that." Mutsu almost had a heart attack when a voice rang out behind his head. He jolted up and fell out of his seat. He felt Karasuba helping him to his feet.

"You did?" Mutsu replied shakily, his heart still beating incredibly fast.

Karasuba nodded, "What were you doing with Yume this late at night?"

"We were just talking." Mutsu replied, not understanding why Karasuba cared. She wasn't suspicious of him or anything, right?

"That's good."

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Karasuba responded quickly.

Mutsu was suspicious, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Are you having a hard time sleeping too?" Mutsu asked.

"Yeah, I've got a lot of thoughts in my head."

"Well, since I already shared my problems with Yume, you should share yours with me." Mutsu said.

"Oh, I guess I should." Karasuba said, slightly disappointed that Mutsu chose to confide with Yume instead of her.

"So what's bothering you?" Mutsu asked.

Karasuba thought for a moment before she answered, "I'm a little concerned about my next mission. I'm supposed to go and force the rebels to come out, but I don't know if I can trust Tsukiumi to have my back."

"Oh, well, if you need any help, I could come along." Mutsu said. He agreed, there was definitely something odd about Tsukiumi.

"Oh really? That would be great!" Karasuba said, uncharacteristically excited.

"Sure, I do have to help out my friends." Mutsu responded.

"Yeah, friends." Karasuba suddenly seemed to lose her excitement. Mutsu was now confused, one moment Karasuba was excited, the next, she was depressed. He wasn't exactly sure what was causing her mood swings, but before he could ask her, she was gone.

* * *

Shiina's face bore an expression of worry as he dashed along the rooftops of Tokyo. He had spent all night looking for his Ashikabi, and was beginning to think that he would never find her. As he felt the cool wind whip through his hair, another feeling overtook him. A sense of dread filled every inch of his body.

"She's in trouble!" He quickly realized as he instinctively changed routes.

* * *

"I'm totally fine, Benitsubasa." Minato said as Benitsubasa inspected him again. They were walking in the parking lot of the nearby mall. The parking lot was eerily silent and completely devoid of cars. When MBI took over the city, a lot of families took their cars to the city limits to leave. As a result, downtown Tokyo had almost no cars remaining.

"That was a hard fall you took." She replied as she stopped inspecting him. However, she made sure to keep a close eye on him.

"I'm doing a lot better than those guys you killed." Minato replied. While the bodies were removed by MBI, the blood splatters remained as a constant reminder of what had taken place in the streets.

"Let's not talk about this right now." Benitsubasa was a little distraught. She normally didn't mind killing, but the fact that a bloodlust had overtaken her was a little unsettling. Minato had not witnessed it, and she was thankful that he didn't. He was already concerned about her killing of gang members. She had no idea what Minato would have done if he knew that she had brutally killed that Sekirei.

"You're right, we're not here to talk about death, we're here to find something to patch up our window." Minato said as he opened the door to the mall.

As he walked inside, he took a look around. The sun was poking through the large holes in the roof, illuminating the various stores. The mall was much cleaner than he had expected. Whereas most of the city was filled with debris, the mall seemed to be completely clear. It was almost as if the mall was simply closed, instead of being deserted.

However, what Minato and Benitsubasa did not realize was that the mall was not deserted.

"What do you think?" Benitsubasa asked as she held up a panel with a floral print.

"What is it with you and flowers?" Mianto asked as he inspected a solid blue panel.

Benitsubasa sighed, they had been disagreeing about panels for about an hour.

"Let's just get some planks of wood and cover up the hole."

Minato looked at her quizzically, "Are you sure? That probably won't look as good."

"We really shouldn't be concerned about how it looks, it's more important that it will keep us safe."

Minato nodded in agreement, "I guess that makes sense." However as he talked, he noticed that Benitsubasa wasn't listening.

"What's wrong?" He asked by he was shushed by Benitsubasa.

"There's someone here." She whispered. She grabbed a nearby cash register and effortlessly held it up with one hand. Minato kept his ears open so hear could hear any movement, but his ears were not as well trained as Benitsubasa's.

"Got you." He heard her whisper. Benitsubasa quickly whipped around and tossed the cash register into a rug hanging on the wall, eliciting a scream. She quickly sprinted at the brown haired girl who appeared from behind the rug and tackled her to the ground.

"Hari!" Minato saw a brown haired boy in a white polo shirt and blue jeans run inside the store.

"Benitsubasa, get off of her." Benitsubasa heard Minato give the order and complied.

Kunimitsu quickly ran to his Sekirei's side, "Please leave us alone." He said fearfully. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he got a good look at Benitsubasa, "Oh my God, it's you."

Minato was very confused, "Wait, you know us?"

"She's the Harbinger Sekirei, which makes you the Reaper."

"Wait, what?" Minato was confused.

"He means that we apparently have a reputation." Benitsubasa explained.

"Wait, then why am I the Reaper?" Minato asked.

"You guys killed nine people in one hour." Kunimitsu answered, "Anyone who would order that has to be the Reaper."

Minato buried his head in his hands as he tried to register what he had heard. Obviously, he was becoming infamous.

He decided to try and salvage the situation, "Well, those are just rumors."

"We did kill nine people." Benitsubasa interrupted.

"But they attacked us first. And that's not who we are." Minato finished, "Look the point is, we won't attack you."

"So are the rumors true or not?" A black haired man in a black polo asked as he entered the store, followed by two Sekirei.

Minato had really painted himself inside of a corner, "They're true, but we're not as ruthless as they make us out to be."

"Sorry, but you'll have to be ruthless." A black haired man said as he also entered the store.

"Who are you?" Minato asked.

The man hand held out his hand, "Oosumi Orihiko." Minato took it and the two shook hands.

"Like I was saying, regardless of whether the rumors are true or not, we need your help right now." Oosumi motioned for the group to follow him.

"We've managed to stay out of trouble by using this mall as our home, but now someone's launching an assault on us. We didn't want to fight, but now we have no choice." Oosumi explained to Minato as they ran towards the mall entrance, which had been reduced to dust by thirty armed men and two Sekirei. For such a dire situation, Minato noticed that the man had stayed rather calm.

"It's the pink haired Sekirei and her Ashikabi." A blond Sekirei with knives attached to whips informed the others. "Number 31 Sai at your service." She said rather impatiently.

"Number 40, Shi." The black haired Sekirei in a kimono said shyly.

"This has been pretty boring so far, let's hope you can entertain us." Sai said as she rushed at Benitsubasa, who quickly flipped over her.

"You're too impatient." Benitsubasa observed before she punched the exposed Sekirei in her back. Before she could punch again, whips beat her back.

"That's it! No one touches me but Hig… I mean Master!" Sai cried out angrily.

"So, Higa's behind this." Oosumi deduced as his Sekirei, Kaho, quickly stabbed a man with her naginata, and deftly decapitated another with a quick swing.

"Oosumi, please get out of danger." Kaho pleaded with her Ashikabi even as she easily sliced another intruder in half. As she did, she left herself open for an attack by Shi, who nervously slashed at her with a blade hidden under her sleeve.

Benitsubasa and Sai were busy exchanging blows, inadvertently killing many of Higa's solders. Neither could gain the upper hand. Every time Sai whipped her, Benitsubasa managed to counter with a punch. Then the roles reversed, Benitsubasa punched Sai, who countered by whipping her.

"I've had enough!" Benitsubasa yelled out as she unleashed a temper even more explosive than that of Sai. She delivered a powerful kick to Sai's gut, forcing her to bend over in pain. As she did, Benitsubasa grabbed her and held her struggling form over her head.

"I'm going to break you right now!" Benitsubasa yelled as she brought the helpless Sekirei down on her knee. Sai saw her vision quickly get fuzzy as she barely registered the crack that her back made.

"I failed Master." She whispered in a calm voice as Benitsubasa tossed her aside and dashed over to assist Kaho, whose naginata was locked against Shi's blade. Using her momentum, Benitsubasa grabbed Shi's midsection and brought both of them to the ground.

"Please, don't." Benitsubasa ignored Shi's pleas and began unloading into her body. Every punch made Minato cringe as he saw the genuine fear in Shi's eyes being replaced by pain.

Minato grabbed Benitsubasa's arm, "Stop, that's enough, she's done."

The pink haired Sekirei stopped and looked over her work in horror. Shi's face was already swelling up from the various blows there. Blood flowed freely from her lip and down the side of her head. Her clothes were torn and splattered by blood. Part of her top had been torn off and it was easy to see that her ribcage was broken. The unconscious Sekirei's face was contorted into an expression of pain.

"You really are the Reaper." Kunimitsu breathed out as his Sekirei Hari cowered in fear behind him.

Minato looked around and realized that Benitsubasa and Kaho had killed all of the intruders, whose bodies lined the entrance and whose blood stained the formerly clean floors of the mall.

"We can't stay here anymore." Oosumi decided.

"What are you talking about?" Mutou asked.

"Look around, Higa is going to retaliate for this." Oosumi answered with worry in his voice.

"He knows not to mess with us, we've got nothing to worry about." Mutou retorted.

"Fine, suit yourselves, but I'm not going to sit around waiting for my death." Oosumi said as he motioned for Kaho to follow him.

"Let's get out of here too." Benitsubasa whispered to Minato, who nodded in agreement.

The two quickly followed Oosumi's lead, leaving Kunimitsu and Mutou behind.

"Fine, when you guys realize that you're overreacting, you can come back here!" Mutou yelled out.

"There won't be anywhere to come back to." A voice startled the black haired Ashikabi.

"Who are you?" Kunimitsu asked nervously.

"I'm Kakizaki, and I'm here to represent Mr. Izumi. Unfortunately for you, he doesn't appreciate those who interfere with his plans. As he said that, a bladed disk came out from behind him and embedded itself in one of Mutou's Sekirei.

"Mimi!" He cried out as her lifeless body fell to the ground.

"You will soon find that Mr. Izumi is capable of being far more intimidating and heartless than the Reaper." Kakizaki said with a smile.

* * *

**I love Mass Effect, so yeah, Minato and his group will be known as the Reapers. To prevent questions later on, yes, Chiho is the Ashikabi of Homura and Uzume and yes, she does live in Izumo Inn, although she is not as involved in the rebellion as her Sekirei are. I'll admit, I think that Mutsu deserves a romance, but I was wondering whether you guys think it should be with Karasuba, who I think needs someone to accept her for who she is, or with Kazehana or possibly with someone else. Please leave your thoughts, if you can. Any reviews are always appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone who gave a suggestion. To address your concerns, GrievousHollow, I wouldn't say that the Sekirei aren't compatible with each other. In the manga, the offspring of Sekirei and humans became Ashikabi, so it's clear that human-Sekirei relationships don't create Sekirei, so I have to imagine that the Sekirei reproduce with each other, but in the story, it's not as big a concern to reproduce as it is to find their Ashikabi. Also, not every strong relationship is romantic. I think there are plenty of fulfilling relationships that are not related to romance. **

**I apologize if this chapter's really choppy and separated into too many story arcs, but this chapter is mainly for set up. **

* * *

Chapter 4

Yukari had been running for too long. She just wanted to collapse and give up, but she couldn't. Not when her brother had sacrificed himself for her to get away.

"Come back here. We promise we'll be gentle, at first that is." The gang member cackled. She had run into them a few blocks back, and they seemed intent on catching her. She saw an alley and quickly ducked inside.

"Get away!" Yukari said, kicking him in the balls. She turned to run again, but was met by a wall. She realized that the alley she had run into was a dead end.

"You're going to pay for that." The man groaned.

Yukari turned around to face the men. She was going to die before she let one of them rape her. To her surprise a silver haired boy jumped down in front of her.

"Get away from my Ashikabi." He warned.

"Why should we be scared of you? You're just a kid."

"Suit yourself." The silver haired boy grabbed the man's arm and began to focus. To Yukari's horror, the man seemed to age rapidly before he quickly dissolved into dust.

"He's one of those Sekirei!" Another man yelled out, "I'm out of here." He quickly ran off, followed by the rest of the gang.

"Who are you?" Yukari asked.

The silver haired boy's expression quickly turned to joy as he saw her. She studied his boyish face, which was just adorable when he smiled. Although she knew that she was in a serious situation, she couldn't help but think that she was lucky to stumble upon a real life bishounen.

"Shiina."

* * *

Karasuba tried not to laugh as she cut down a blond Ashikabi. Although she loved killing, she didn't want Mutsu to think that she was insane or anything. There was a very good chance that he would be scared off if he knew. But still, the way that the helpless humans screamed out for mercy was so exhilarating.

"Looks like they're not coming out, let's just go." Tsukiumi said nervously, her eyes darting to the dead Ashikabi and his disemboweled Sekirei, who was not just terminated, but dead. She knew that Karasuba was a little off, but she had never realized what a crazed sadist she really was.

Karasuba looked at her suspiciously, "Exactly why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Before Tsukiumi could answer, a fireball torched the ground in front of Karasuba. Mutsu quickly pushed her out of the way as another fireball came flying at her face.

As she fell on the ground, she couldn't help but admire how brave Mutsu was and how strong his arms were. But she had no time to dwell on that. She pushed Mutsu off and leaped at Homura. She began hacking away at the silver haired Sekirei, who began dodging her attacks.

"Tsukiumi! Can I get a little help?" She cried out as Homura continued to dodge her slashes. Homura quickly gave Tsukiumi a look before he returned to his current task.

"What am I supposed to do?" Tsukiumi whispered softly to herself. As she saw the fear in Homura's eyes as he dodged yet another aggressive move from Karasuba, she made a choice.

"Water Celebration!" Tsukiumi cried out as a stream of water shot out of her hand and ran into Karasuba's side.

"I knew I couldn't trust you!" Karasuba screamed. While she was focused on Tsukiumi, she didn't notice that a certain pair of twins had also arrived at the battle.

"Watch out!" Mutsu yelled as he saw a bolt of lightning and a fireball fly at Karasuba. He quickly dove in front of her and felt his body seize up as electricity coursed through him. Smoke filled his lungs as he desperately tried to put out the fire singing his skin by rolling around, but he slowly felt his strength fading away as the fire was finally put out.

"This is not good! Karasuba is going to kill us." Tsukiumi yelled out. Homura nodded and the group quickly disappeared.

* * *

Minato and Benitsubasa were relaxing on the roof after they had patched up their window with some wooden planks.

"Am I useless?" Minato asked.

"No! What makes you ask that?"

"It's just, I'm powerless to help you, and you always seem to be protecting me. I would like to be able to protect you too once in a while. I don't want you to get hurt because I can't defend myself."

"Is it because of what happened with Kaho and Oosumi?"

Minato nodded.

"Kaho only got a scratch from defending him. Look, you've already saved my life before against Kuruse. Don't worry about it." Benitsubasa reassured.

Minato was about to respond when they noticed smoke rising from a nearby street from their vantage point on top of the firehouse.

"Is that a smoke signal?" Benitsubasa asked as she stood up to get a better look.

"Should we check it out?" Minato asked.

"Yeah, I guess we should." Benitsubasa replied as Minato grabbed a hold of her waist.

Karasuba was in shock at what had just happened. Her mind slowly registered the scene before her and she quickly crawled over to Mutsu's side. He looked badly injured and was in a lot of pain. As she looked over his body, she barely noticed footsteps coming at them.

"Mutsu, you're going to be okay." She reassured, even as she heard the familiar whir of helicopters.

"What happened?" She heard a voice say. She looked up to see a black haired boy and his pink haired Sekirei kneel down next to Mutsu. All of a sudden, she felt the temperature rise as she looked back at Mutsu. How could she be flustered by him at a time like this?

"Get away from him you monkey." Karasuba snapped.

"But he looks badly injured." The boy responded.

"You don't think I know that?" Karasuba screamed.

"What can we do? The MBI copters are coming."

"You can wing him. If you wing him, his core should be strengthened. His Sekirei crest hasn't disappeared yet, so there's still time." Benitsubasa offered.

"No, there's no way that Mutsu will be winged by such a weak human." Karasuba said firmly.

"He doesn't have much of a choice." Benitsubasa replied. She motioned for Minato to do it. Minato nodded and pressed his lips to Mutsu's singed ones. Instantly, light shone from behind his back and Mutsu's eyes snapped open. His body seemed to heal before their eyes. His blackened skin began to return to its natural pale color, although it was clear that the change was more cosmetic than anything, as Mutsu was still clearly in a lot of pain. He tried to sit up, but was forced back by searing pain.

"Just go to sleep, it'll all be alright." Karasuba reassured him in a surprisingly gentle voice.

"Let's get back home before MBI decides they want to take him." Minato said.

Karasuba gently stroked Mutsu's silver hair as he slept. His face looked at peace for the first time in a long while. His injuries seemed to have healed thanks to his accelerated healing ability that was bolstered by the fact that he was winged. She looked over at Mutsu's Ashikabi, who was busy making food with his pink haired Sekirei. He had not looked like much back on the streets, but she had realized that he was the Reaper.

It had surprised her. After all, she expected someone that infamous to be at least a little intimidating, but she had no doubt once she saw Benitsubasa, he was definitely the Reaper. She decided that he probably was much more intense in battle. After all, every Sekirei that he terminated looked like they had been through Hell and back. Not to mention the fact that he was insanely efficient in battle. He had left absolutely no survivors in either of his fights. Even the Sekirei that he had fought were beyond terminated. They were dead. The only hope they could have would be for someone to restore their cores with the Jinki, and even then, there would be no guarantee that they could be brought back due to the damage they had taken.

She had actually admired him a bit. He seemed to be the only person who understood what it would take to win the game. Not to mention, she liked his policy of leaving no survivors. Her inner sadist loved that about him. He actually would have been a much better candidate to be her Ashikabi than Natsuo.

If Mutsu was going to be winged by someone other than Natsuo, she was glad that it would be by the most feared Ashikabi in the land. Although, now she almost didn't want to go back to the Discipline Squad without him.

Karasuba hated all of them. Well, almost all of them. She was envious of Miya. The purple haired Sekirei was so strong that Karasuba legitimately feared her. Matsu was annoying. The redhead was easily the most perverted Sekirei she had ever met. Kazehana was weird. She had to be to be throwing herself at Minaka. And now she was a drunk. Mutsu was an entirely different story.

The five of them had made up the Discipline Squad. They were tasked with protecting their brethren at Kamikura Island from prying governments. Although she didn't really care what happened to the other Sekirei, Karasuba was not one to pass up a chance for killing. Still, that wasn't the only reason she defended the island.

Mutsu might have had something to do with it. She didn't know what it was about silver haired men that was so attractive to the Discipline Squad in general, but all of them fell for a silver haired man, except for Matsu, who fell for every man or woman she met. Mutsu was cool, calm, chivalrous, and quite attractive. Karasuba really had no choice but to fall madly in love with him. Just his presence had made Karasuba feel like she was sitting in a sauna. He had reduced her from a killing machine to a lovesick teenager. And he was blissfully unaware of the effect he had on her.

She sighed, but she knew Mutsu didn't feel the same way. He didn't seem interested in being anything more than friends, and she knew that the only person who ever brought a smile to his face was Kazehana. She gently cupped her breasts and wondered if Kazehana was really that much more attractive than her.

* * *

Homura smiled underneath his mask as he led the group back to Izumo. He had managed to make Tsukiumi desert the Discipline Squad and had terminated Mutsu, who was another feared member of the Discipline Squad. It was not a part of the plan to engage him, but he wouldn't complain about the results.

He quickly glanced behind to see Tsukiumi staring at him.

"Good, she's not regretting her decision." Homura whispered to himself. He landed in front of Izumo Inn and was greeted by Takehito and Miya, who was wielding her sword. Izumo Inn looked no different than any other building in the area, yet it was vitally important to the resistance. Minaka had not and would not be able to discover that this ordinary inn was the home of the rebellion that was threatening to topple his regime.

"How did you manage to do it?" Miya asked.

"Don't underestimate my hosting skills." Homura whispered back as he made his way inside to check up on Chiho.

"Homura, you're back." Takehito said jovially. The scientist then walked over to Tsukiumi, "Nice to have you here. It's a shame that we lost another Ashikabi, but if that's the price to get you, it was worth it. I'm sure you can provide us with enough information to stop Minaka's madness."

For some reason, she felt inclined to trust this man much more than she had trusted Minaka or Natsuo, even though he was just as human as either one. She shook his hand, "I'll try."

* * *

Kazehana was once again chugging an impressive amount of sake as the other members of the Discipline Squad looked on in a mixture of horror and interest. No one besides Kazehana noticed that Karasuba had exited the elevator and headed straight to her room. Realizing that Mutsu had not returned with her, Kazehana stumbled over to her room.

As she entered the room, she quickly glanced around. She had never seen Karasuba's room. Other than the stand which held her sword and the futon that she slept on, her room was completely bare.

Karasuba was currently curled up in the corner, but instantly stood up once she realized someone else was in the room. Karasuba was not one to show any weakness.

"Why so sad?" Kazehana asked as her body quickly sobered up.

"None of your business." Karasuba snapped.

"What happened to Mutsu?"

"Oh, so now you care." She had enough with Kazehana, who was completely ungrateful towards Mutsu. He would do anything for her, and she never even seemed to notice his affections.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Karasuba stabbed an accusatory finger into Kazehana, "All of these years, he's loved you, and you wouldn't even give him the light of day. Every time I try to say something to him, his eyes are always glued to you. But instead of accepting his love, you had to go chase after Minaka. Do you know how much that hurt Mutsu? He was devastated, and you still didn't care. You don't deserve someone like him."

Karasuba began to walk out of the room when she felt a gust of wind knock her to the ground.

"I see now, you love him, don't you?" Kazehana smirked. She usually loved romances, but not when they involved psychotic killers.

"It doesn't matter, he'll be fawning over you if we ever see him again." Karasuba kept her eyes pointed to the floor. She didn't want Kazehana to see her cry.

Kazehana had enough with Karasuba as well. The gray haired Sekirei really got on her nerves, and now she knew her weakness. She already did think Mutsu was pretty hot, but now, the fact that Karasuba loved him made Mutsu much more desirable.

Kazehana began to walk out of the room, but she stopped for a second to whisper into Karasuba's ear.

"I'll make sure he does."

* * *

Meanwhile, Minaka was watching over everything in interest. His office was lined with monitors so he could watch over everything in the city. He really had to hand it himself, leaving it up to a battle royal was very entertaining. Everything was going according to plan, well, almost everything.

He had not expected Minato to gain the reputation he now had, but he was impressed by how indifferent he was to killing. He had expected Minato to be vehemently against killing, but it seemed as if he had the opposite reaction. A smile came over his face as he watched Minato wing Mutsu. Although he had planned to have Natsuo wing the Discipline Squad, he wouldn't complain about having Minato involved.

"Well Minato, you've forced me to change my plans, but I'm adaptable." Minaka said devilishly. Things were really starting to get interesting now.

* * *

"To think that I was winged by another man." Mutsu shivered a little at the thought, "But I do thank you for saving my life. I am in your debt."

"No problem." Minato replied sheepishly. As he said that, Benitsubasa walked over with a tray of pasta.

"Here you go, you need to eat." Mutsu took a good look at her.

"You're 105, aren't you?" He asked.

Benitsubasa nodded, "I'm 105, Benitsubasa."

Mutsu took a look at Minato, "That means you must that Reaper Ashikabi that's been causing a stir lately."

Minato laughed, "That name isn't really accurate."

"Well, you have left 38 humans and 3 Sekirei dead." Mutsu replied casually, "In fact, the Discipline Squad was almost sent out to stop your killing spree yesterday, but we decided that the rebels were a more important target." He finished before taking a bite of pasta.

"Oh, that's nice to know." Minato said, relieved that the Discipline Squad had not come after them. He had heard the rumors about how ruthless they were, and knew that he would be dead if they came after him, "So why are you a part of the Discipline Squad anyways?"

Mutsu sighed, "Honestly, I don't know. I feel really guilty sometimes for what I'm doing, but I can't bring myself to leave. I've thought about it, but something always makes me second guess myself. I guess I've gotten too used to the whole thing. I've been a part of it for as long as I can remember, and I guess I can't see a life outside of it. Being a part of it gives my life purpose, even if I don't find it all that fulfilling."

Minato nodded in agreement, "I know what you mean. I don't think I could ever readjust to life without Sekirei. I've really gotten too used to this life. In here, I have a purpose, and I feel important. Out there, I would probably be stuck at some dead end job with no clear goal in sight. Even if I'm not feeling fulfilled, I do have something to work towards, and that makes all the difference."

Before Mutsu could respond, the sound of glass shattering interrupted their conversation. An MBI helicopter was hovering above the hole in the wall. Two MBI solders came in through the now pulverized window.

"The Chairman wants to speak to you."

* * *

Higa smirked as he watched his Sekirei lay waste to the mall. He had been outraged when he found out that not only had thirty of his men been killed, but two of his prized Sekirei were terminated. He made it a point to demolish the place where this had happened. He didn't want it to stand and be a memorial to his failure.

He had stumbled upon two Ashikabi who were dumb enough to stay behind. Although it wasn't sportsmanlike, he had captured the Ashikabi and forced the Sekirei to surrender. Well, the ones who survived anyways. He made a mental note to punish Oriha for terminating one of them right off the bat.

"Now then, will you learn your lesson and give up?" He asked the two bound Ashikabi, who responded with nods.

"Then you will do exactly as I say. And let me tell you, I don't take to failure very well." Higa informed them as he pulled out a pistol and inspected it.

"I don't know who you are Reaper, but I will have my revenge."

* * *

**First off, I don't know if winging a Sekirei could prevent termination, but I feel like Mutsu would work on Minato's team, and I didn't see him joining Minato any other way. At this point, I think that Karasuba would fit onto Minato's new team better, as his team is known as a merciless killing squad in this universe, but what do you guys think? I did drop a few hints that Karasuba could be reacting to Minato, but nothing is concrete yet. Also, I am leaning towards a Karasuba and Mutsu romance because I think that Kazehana has a considerably less serious view on life than Mutsu does and that could cause some problems, but the fact that Karasuba is an insane sadist comes with a whole new set of problems. Please leave your thoughts. I would really appreciate any help!**

**Also, in my last story, people asked for a Sekirei crossover. Go to my profile and please contribute to the poll to decide which crossover I should do, if you guys want to. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know I haven't updated for a few days, but I'm lucky I could even get this out. I've had so much volleyball the past few days that every time I get home, I just go to sleep. But I managed to finish this chapter, so here you go. As usual, I really appreciate any reviews I get. Thanks for the feedback. Note: The italics in this chapter indicate a flashback.**

* * *

Chapter 5

"The Demon and the Death God?"

"Yeah, you seriously need to watch out for them. They're looking for someone, and I heard that if you don't know, they'll kill you!"

"First the Reaper, now this? Everything's going to hell!"

The two men stopped talking when they realized that footsteps were approaching them. Their eyes widened in horror as they saw two figures approaching their meeting spot in the alley. There was a blue haired girl with a silver haired boy, both of whom were wearing all black. As they approached, the alley seemed to melt away at their presence.

"Say, you wouldn't have happened to see my big brother, have you?" Yukari asked, flashing a photo of Minato.

"Say yes." One of them whispered to the other.

"Of course I have!"

Yukari's eyes widened in anticipation, "Really? Where is he?"

"Well, you see… the thing is…"

"You were lying." Yukari finished, with rage in her eyes.

The man was taken aback at the sudden change in attitude.

"You know, the only thing I hate more than those who run from me are the ones who lie to me. And I already make sure those who run from me die an excruciating death." Yukari said with an evil glint in her eye. Before either of the men could respond, a swift kick to the balls silenced both of them.

"Shiina." She ordered.

"I'm really sorry, but I have no choice." Shiina apologized as he placed a hand on each of their heads ,"I'll try to make this as painless as possible."

The men didn't even have time to scream before they were turned to dust.

* * *

Takehito's eyebrows furrowed in worry as he read another report by one of his informants. He calmly sipped his tea while Miya and Homura observed him from their seats across from him at the dining table. Seo was merely leaning against the wall, barely interested in what was happening in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Miya asked, knowing that Takehito only got upset about serious matters.

"It seems that, in addition to the Reaper, a new Ashikabi called the Demon and her Sekirei, the Death God are also leaving behind a massive body count."

"So, what are we going to do about it?" Homura asked.

Takehito took a sip from his cup. Outwardly, he was exuding a sense of calm, but inwardly, he was fuming with anger, "As much as I want to do something, we can't do anything yet. The Discipline Squad has been hot on our trail ever since Tsukiumi defected to our side."

"You don't think that she's a spy, do you?" Miya asked. She had been very suspicious of the blond haired Sekirie ever since she arrived at Izumo Inn. Having been a part of the Discipline Squad herself and knowing many of the members personally, Miya knew better than anyone that Discipline Squad members should not be trusted.

"There's no way! She's Chiho's Sekiriei, and I know that she would never do something like that to betray her Ashikabi! Even if she had thought about it at first, she's been won over." Homura cried out. Tsukiumi had agreed to become Chiho's Sekirei and loved the girl dearly, but asserted that she was the legal wife of Homura, not Chiho. Miya's words made him doubt her true allegiance for a second.

Miya looked at him with suspicion, "You're just saying that because you sleep with her."

Homura was flustered by that comment, but plowed on, "That's not it at all. I trust Tsukiumi. She would never do something like that."

"You better be right, or I'll skin her myself." Miya said, placing a hand on her sword.

"That's enough!" Takehito yelled, "We can't just accuse her of something like that, but likewise, we can't put our complete faith in her. We need to get to the bottom of this. I'll assign someone who's impartial to investigate this matter. End of discussion!" Takehito slammed his cup on the table and walked out.

As he walked out, Seo sighed and took his best friend's place at the table.

"Look what you guys did. Now Takehito's all stressed out."

Miya whipped towards Homura, "It's all your fault! You never should have fallen for that girl! She's clouding your judgment."

"I don't love her. I already told you that. She's a piece in this game, nothing more!" Homura yelled as he followed Takehito's lead.

"Miya, you really need to calm down. I know you want to do everything you can to help Takehito, but this time, you need to back off a little." Seo added as he walked out as well. As he walked out, he bumped into a blond haired woman, who seemed to be on her way out. At the time, he hadn't thought much of it.

* * *

"Come on! Read your opponent's moves! Don't just hack away randomly!" Karasuba ordered, as Minato hopelessly swung his practice sword at her.

"Come on! Actually put some thought into this!" Karasuba yelled as Minato swung in the wrong place again, earning a wooden sword in his gut.

"How did I get to this point?" He gasped out.

"_Wait, you want me to join the Discipline Squad?" Minato asked incredulously. Within an hour, he had been whisked away from his home in the warzone and ushered into a private meeting with the Chairman of MBI. _

"_Well, you did wing Mutsu, who was a key part of this group." Minaka replied._

"_But still, I don't know if I'm cut out for this."_

"_Being an enforcer shouldn't be a problem for the Reaper."_

"_Why does everyone insist on referring to me as that? I'm not actually that cruel."_

"_Your track record says otherwise." Minaka said, pointing to his computer screen, which held personal information about Minato._

_Minato had to admit, his recent actions had been pretty violent. But he had no part in them. He was not actually strong enough to cause that much damage to one person, let alone forty._

"_Fine, I'll do it." Minato sighed, "But I don't want to officially be part of the Discipline Squad. I'll work with them, but my team will be a completely different entity."_

"_Deal." _

_Minato was greeted by his two Sekirei as he walked out of the office._

"_So?" Benitsubasa asked._

"_Pack your things, we're staying here with the Discipline Squad." _

_Minato did not own anything to begin with, so while Benitsubasa returned to gather her things, he decided to check out his room. Mutsu led him to the elevator and took him to the floor where the Discipline Squad stayed. As soon as the elevator opened, Mutsu was pulled into a hug by Kazehana, who made sure that Mutsu's face was mashed into her chest. _

_Minato walked out behind him and noticed Karasuba watching on in anger. She immediately got up and walked off as Kazehana shot her a glance. Unnoticed by either of them, Yume was also intently watching Karasuba._

_Intrigued, Minato followed her to a room on the other side of the floor. He opened the door to find himself inside of a dojo. Karasuba was busy striking a mannequin that had been adorned with a black wig. Karasuba noticed the intruder and stopped._

"_What do you want?" She snapped as she stabbed her sword into the mannequin. _

_Although he was a bit scared of her, Minato figured that he could benefit a lot from her instruction. "Teach me." Minato replied._

_Karasuba thought for a moment, "Why do you want to learn?"_

"_I want to be able to help my Sekirei when they fight. I would be powerless to help them if they were being overwhelmed. Also, I don't want them to get hurt just because I can't defend myself."_

_Karasuba decided that she liked his answer, "Fine I'll do it." _

From that moment on, Minato had become Karasuba's student. He honestly didn't know a lot about her, so he figured he would ask some of the Discipline Squad members. As he met each one, he decided that the Discipline Squad's reputation, much like his, had been greatly exaggerated. Haihane was actually pretty good to play video games and watch TV with. MBI Tower was outfitted with the latest game systems and had access to the best games. It wasn't uncommon for Haihane to ask Minato to play a few rounds of Nazi Zombies with her.

Matsu scared him a bit. Every time he talked to her, it always ended with her trying to rape him. At this point, he learned to stay away from her. Kazehana seemed to always be flirting with Mutsu or himself. If she wasn't, then she was at the bar, drinking. Saki relished in using her teleportation skills to mess with Minato. He had already been locked in the bathroom by her four times this week. When she wasn't pranking him, she was a lot like Haihane, only she didn't like video games as much.

Minato had only met Akitsu a few times, and in the few times he met her, she barely spoke a word. She was quiet, and seemed to live only to help Natsuo, who sometimes requested her help on sensitive matters. Yume seemed to be a pleasant person, but didn't really pay Minato too much interest, so he had not had a chance to talk to her. Karasuba was actually the only one who really paid attention to him, even if it was only because she was training him.

"You're hopeless. In the back of my mind, I knew you were hopeless from the beginning." Karasuba muttered as she dropped her sword. She sighed and sat down on the ground, her body still burning up from the workout. Even though Minato wasn't very good yet, he did make her work. Every day she had trained with him, it felt like she had been in the sun all day.

"Then why did you start teaching me?" Minato asked as he took a seat next to her.

"Honestly, I thought you would be able to protect your Sekirei better."

"You really care for Mutsu, huh?" Minato asked as he grabbed a bottle of water from the ground.

Karasuba immediately blushed at the mention of his name, "How did you know?"

"It wasn't hard to tell. I could tell just by how protective you were of him."

Karasuba sighed, "It doesn't really matter. He could never love me."

"Why are you so sure?" Minato asked.

"The real me is nothing like the person standing in front of you. You would be terrified if you knew the real me."

"What's so bad about the real you?"

"I love killing. I get giddy whenever someone cries out for their life. Watching the blood squirt out of their lifeless bodies is exhilarating for me. It's the greatest feeling in the world when I'm weaving in and out of a crowd, just slicing off body parts and causing pain. I've never known a rush quite like killing. Isn't that the most messed up thing you've ever heard?" Karasuba said, certain that Minato would run off in fear. But instead he just sat there and listened intently.

"That's not messed up at all. I should hate this life. I shouldn't love every moment that I'm spending in here. But I do. Fighting to win the Sekirei Plan is the only thing in my life that has ever given me purpose. It's also the most exhilarating thing I've ever done. I've been against fighting and killing all my life, yet here I am, doing all of that and more. And the scariest thing is that I never want this to end, because regular life scares me too much."

Karasuba looked at Minato in wonder. They had been training together for a week, and Minato was still learning, but Karasuba still found herself in awe of him sometimes. He barely knew her, yet he seemed intent on comforting her, and wasn't afraid to bare his soul to her. She had no idea that he was so afraid of his own desires like she was.

For a moment, they almost felt like kindred spirits. That was a feeling that Karasuba loved. For all of her life, she had felt alone in her world because she was different from everyone else. No one else could understand how scared she was of herself. Sometimes, she looked in the mirror and realized in horror that her greatest joy in life was killing, and that almost nothing else would bring that joy to her life.

She put up a tough exterior, but there were times when she was scared out of her mind. She was afraid that one day, she would lose herself in the moment, and never return. She was in control for now, but she could never tell when her sadistic nature would take hold. That uncertainty terrified her more than anything else in the world. Now though, she knew someone else who felt the same way about themselves, and she didn't want to lose him. Suddenly, she realized why she always felt so hot around Minato.

"Wing me." She ordered.

Minato almost spit out the water he was currently drinking, "What?" He had never imagined that someone as strong willed as Karasuba would be willingly winged.

"Will you be my Ashikabi or not?" Karasuba asked.

"I thought Natsuo was supposed to be your Ashikabi." Minato replied nervously.

"He was, but it's still my choice in the end. Minaka can plan all he wants, but he knows he can't force me to be winged by someone I don't approve of."

"Wait, you approve of me?"

Karasuba smiled for the first time in a long while, "Well, you're the only one who's ever approved of the real me."

Before Minato could say anything else, Karasuba's lips were on top of his. She suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over her body as two wings of light sprouted from her back. She had no idea that it felt so good to be winged. If she had known, she would have done it a long time ago. Although, she was glad that if she waited this long, at least she met the right Ashikabi.

"Since you're my Ashikabi, I really need to train you now." Karasuba said as she grabbed her sword and stood up.

"One more thing." Karasuba paused for a moment.

"What?"

"Don't hide who you are." Minato smiled as he picked up his sword. Karasuba nodded in response.

Before they could resume their training, Mutsu opened the door.

"Minaka wants to talk to you." He told Minato.

* * *

"First, congratulations on winging Karasuba. I knew you had it in you! Second, it's time to put your squad in action!" Minaka said excitedly.

"You don't have to act so excited." Minato grumbled.

"I'm not acting, I am excited! I'm very interested to see how you carry out this job." Minaka said as he handed Minato four packets.

He exited Minaka's office only to be met by a light haired man dressed in an expensive purple suit.

"You must be Minato, I really look forward to working with you in the future." The man said as he held out his hand.

"Oh, you must be Natsuo." Minato shook his hand, "Nice to meet you."

"I heard that you were getting your first assignment today. I wish you the best of luck!" Suddenly, his expression changed to one of nervousness. He began searching his pockets urgently.

"Got it! Minaka wanted me to give this to you." Natsuo said as he held out a small box.

Minato picked it up and carefully opened it up. Inside lay a sheathed dagger with a slightly curved blade.

"A dagger?"

"Oh, it's much more than that. Minaka just had me pick it up from the research department. He knows that you've been training with Karasuba. Consider it a reward for taking the initiative."

Minato gingerly took the small dagger, and instantly, the ivory blade began to rapidly expand and became much more curved, until it resembled a large crescent.

"What is this?" Minato asked.

"It is a specially made makraka. The Zande of central Africa used this weapon, mainly for executions. The blade has been specially modified to slice through flesh and bone easier. I think you know where I'm going with this." Natsuo said, all with a smile.

"Wait, this is for executions? But, I promised myself that I would never kill." Minato said, studying the blade.

Natsuo shrugged, "Suit yourself, but when the time comes, you'll be glad that you had this on you." He turned around and walked off.

As Minato tried to sheath it, it returned to its original size. Minato took the blade and placed it inside of his jacket. He really hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

He returned to the dojo, where Benitsubasa, Karasuba, and Mutsu were waiting for him. Mutsu was leaning against a wall while Karasuba and Benitsubasa were loafing around on a large box. While Benitsubasa was busy adjusting her hair, Karasuba was staring dreamily at an oblivious Mutsu. All three focused their attention on him as he entered the room. He handed each of them a packet before opening his own up.

"Well?" Benitsubasa asked.

"We have a mission, so get ready." Minato ordered.

Mutsu opened up the box and tossed a black uniform at Minato.

"What's this?" Minato asked.

"Your uniform. Benitsubasa and I already received ours." Mutsu grabbed another one and handed it to Karasuba.

"All right, then let's get changed and get to the meeting place."

Minato looked at the uniform that his team would use. It was a black military uniform, with slight modifications. The shoulders were each covered by an ivory shoulder guard, and the right arm had a small patch with the black outline of the grim reaper against a white background. The pants were completely black, hiding the black military boots that reached up to Minato's shins, except for a lone stripe of white down each pant leg. He slipped on black fingerless gloves and picked up a hooded mask.

The mask itself was an eerily accurate rendition of a skull, paired with a completely black hood. As he put it on, he couldn't help but feel that he looked like an embodiment of the grim reaper. He adjusted the hood so it would hide as much of his face as possible, so from far away, it would be impossible to tell that he was wearing a mask.

He exited his room to be met by Benitsubasa, Karasuba, and Mutsu, who wore the same uniform, minus the mask and hood. The uniform was significantly more form fitting than the kimonos the three of them normally wore, and Minato could sense Benitsubasa's self consciousness as she stared at Karasuba's significantly larger chest. Meanwhile, Karasuba was busy ogling Mutsu, whose uniform showed off his toned body. Minato instantly felt self conscious as well. He was pretty strong, but compared to Mutsu, he looked like a weakling.

"I guess this is it." Minato sighed as he led the group to the elevator. As they walked by the Discipline Squad, he saw Karasuba shoot Kazehana a look of smugness. He wondered what was going on between the two, but he had no time to think about it as his mission was time sensitive.

* * *

Himura Youichi smiled as a tank blew up in front of him. His plan to escape the city was going off without a hitch. He had managed to get five other Ashikabi and their Sekirei to join him and Nanami. They assaulted the Northern Bridge as that was where the defenses were at their weakest. The MBI solders so far had been no match for their group.

"Come on! Just a little further!" He yelled out to his group, which cheered in response. He was so close to finally returning to the normal world where he wouldn't have to fight other Ashikabi. Plus, as an added bonus, he basically had a very attractive slave who would do anything he wanted.

"Not so fast." A voice rang out. A lone figure came into view. He was dressed in a black uniform that was starkly contrasted by his ivory shoulder guards. A black hood covered most of his face. Although he was alone on the bridge, the feeling of fear could be felt by everyone in the group. The man seemed to have an almost demonic aura surrounding him.

"The Discipline Squad?" One Ashikabi with brown hair asked.

"No, the Reapers." Minato replied.

"The Reaper? No way, I'm out!" The Ashikabi cried out and along with his Sekirei , turned back to leave, but was stopped by a sword slicing him in half. Before his Sekirei could do anything, she was decapitated in one swift motion. Both bodies dropped lifelessly to the ground and blood began spewing out of the various severed blood vessels. The sight almost made Himura throw up in disgust, but he tried his best to keep his composure.

Karasuba laughed as she watched the blood from the two bodies quickly pool up. She had taken Minato's words to heart and was indulging her desires to spill blood. She had no idea why she had tried to suppress her urges. The feeling she got when she looked at the rest of the group cowering in fear was unparalleled. The feeling was exhilarating and she could not wait for more.

While the group was distracted by that, a shockwave hit the group from the side. Mutsu leaped forward and impaled one Sekirei on his sword before turning around and expertly blocking an attack from another who attempted to punch him. Karasuba watched him, mildly aroused by his killing, but quickly snapped out of it and cut down another Sekirei in her way, making extra sure that her victim's Ashikabi got a good look at the Sekirei's blank eyes as her head rolled off of her shoulders.

Benitsubasa joined in the fray, quickly grabbing one Sekirei and pulling her aside. She picked up the stunned Sekirei and tossed her into a support beam for the bridge, reveling in the crack that the Sekirei had made when she met metal. She quickly turned around and delivered a roundhouse kick to another Sekirei who had tried to sneak up behind her.

Mutsu quickly slashed at the Sekirei that Benitsubasa had sent his way, leaving her core limbless. He turned away as she cried out in pain while blood poured out her open wounds. She was dead within seconds. He didn't always like killing, but he understood that their group had a reputation to uphold. Besides, who was he to ruin Karasuba's and Benitsubasa's fun?

Himura watched in horror as his group was quickly decimated. He had gotten so close to pulling off his plan, and he wasn't let all of his work go to waste.

"Go for the Reaper! He can't stop all of us!" Himura yelled out, charging towards Minato.

"Don't come any closer, I don't want to hurt you." Minato pleaded.

"Like you can hurt me, Nanami!" At his command, the blond Sekirei jumped in front of her Ashikabi, armed with a bladed staff. She immediately lunged forward with it, but Minato pulled out his makraka in time to deflect the blow. He backed off and tried to remember Karasuba's lessons. He waited for her to stab forward again, and quickly used the curved blade to disarm her. He then delivered a kick to her shocked face, knocking her to the ground.

"Fine, whatever, I don't need her. I can beat you myself." Himura said as he got into a fighting stance.

"You don't even care about what happens to your Sekirei. You disgust me." Minato spat. In an instant, he lost control. He quickly punched Himura in the gut, forcing him to his knees. He pulled back his hood, revealing the skull mask he had on underneath, eliciting a look of fear in Himura's eyes. He then lined up his sword against Himura's neck, nicking it slightly and letting the blood flow down his neck.

"Please, just let me go. You've won." Himura begged, now cowering in fear.

His plea snapped Minato out of his bloodlust. Himura's face relaxed as Minato took his sword away from his neck. However, his face suddenly changed to an expression of pain as a katana stabbed through his chest from behind. Minato looked behind him to see Karasuba, who pulled her sword out of Himura, allowing his body to collapse to the ground as the man gasped his dying breaths. Wordlessly, she made her way over to Nanami, whose crest was disappearing and stabbed her in the back.

Minato watched her in fascination. He now knew why Karasuba was so feared. When she was locked in, she was easily the most intimidating person Minato had ever seen. Also, now that he knew about the pleasure she got from killing, she was even more intimidating, although he didn't want to tell her that. She noticed his gaze and gave him a thumbs up. She had to admit, he hadn't done a bad job. He took out the Sekirei rather easily and even managed to scare the Ashikabi to death.

"Minato, we should go." Mutsu said as he tapped his Ashikabi's shoulder. Minato looked at the dead bodies of the group and agreed. Once again, he had left no survivors. He wrapped his hands around Benitsubasa's waist as she took off from her spot on the bridge.

As the group landed in front of MBI Tower, he looked down at his hands and realized that he almost killed someone just a moment ago. In the moment, he had no hesitation. He was simply acting on his instincts, and his instincts had ordered him to kill the man standing in front of him. Now he was unconsciously becoming used to death and his body would no longer hesitate to kill.

His gaze fell on Karasuba, who was hanging on every word that Mutsu had spoke. He wondered if the same thing had happened to her and she became the killer she was today in a similar process. He imagined that they both progressive grew less and less opposed to the idea of killing, and in Karasuba's case, she became addicted to it. He had stopped himself this time, but if he lost control again, he was going to kill without remorse.

"What am I becoming?"

* * *

**I know that interpretation of Karasuba might be different from the usual one, but I like to think that she is vulnerable and self conscious of the fact that she is a sadist. Although she would derive pleasure from inflicting pain, I feel like she would feel at least a little guilty about it. Although this has been a pretty serious story, especially in comparison to my first one, the next chapter will be a bit more light hearted, mostly because I think Karasuba and Mutsu would be a cute couple. Again, if any of you guys want to see a Sekirei crossover, please vote on the poll I put up on my profile.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to anyone who reviewed this story so far. First off, this chapter is a little shorter because it's set up again. Also, I know that this chapter's tone might feel out of place in this story, but I really think Karasuba and Mutsu belong together. Don't worry though, that doesn't mean that their relationship won't have any struggles. I promise that their relationship will have some interesting turns.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Inside of his personal office, Higa carefully read the intel that Kakizaki had delivered to him. His windows had been covered up with curtains, and a sole lamp illuminated his mahogany desk.

"And you're sure that this is accurate?" He asked his assistant, who nodded.

Higa could see a plan clearly come together in his mind, "Well then, MBI's going to get a big surprise."

* * *

"I think that's a great idea!" Yukari said to Shiina, who suggested using the television studio inside of MBI Tower to put out a message for Minato.

"Well it would be, if we could get inside." Shiina replied softly.

"Nonsense! We'll just melt the doors and kick the balls of everyone who gets in our way!" Yukari said, casually strolling up towards the entrance, which was manned by several armed guards.

Shiina sighed, once Yukari set her mind to something, there was no way to make her stop. He quickly ran up to her as she began arguing with one of the guards.

She stomped her foot on the ground, "Let me in already!"

"I'm sorry ma'am, I can't do that." The guard tried to reply calmly.

"Fine, if you don't want to let me in, I'll force my way in." Yukari said before she swiftly kicked the guard in the balls, bringing him to his knees.

Shiina quickly readied himself for the inevitable fight that was going to ensue.

* * *

Minato finally had a moment of peace. His office was strewn with papers, all detailing his various assignments. He had a very high end corner office on the ninety ninth floor, just under the floor that served as Minaka's office. He liked having Minato close by so he could give him assignments. It had been a week since the bridge incident and he had been forced to work nonstop to stop any potential riots for the last few days. The news of the brutal killings had spread through Tokyo. He was now more feared than before, if that was even possible. He had to admit, watching the fear in the eyes of his opponents when they realized that he was the Reaper was actually pretty fun. He understood why Karasuba loved it so much. Not that he was becoming sadistic or anything.

He sighed, he was really going crazy. He decided that he would continue with his assignments tomorrow. He really needed a break from fighting. He had managed to keep himself from killing, but the bodies just kept piling up, usually due to Karasuba's katana.

"Minato! Get outside with your team right now!" Minaka yelled from the intercom in his office.

Minato cursed as his break was abruptly ended. Luckily, he had not taken off the uniform yet and all he had to do was to slip on his mask. He ran over to the elevator and it opened to reveal Karasuba, Mutsu, and Benitsubasa.

"What's going on out there?" He asked his Sekirei.

"Apparently, someone out there tried to break into the tower, and now the building's on lockdown." Benitsubasa said.

The elevator dinged, alerting the passengers that they had reached the right floor. They exited to see the lobby in shambles. The curtains were all ripped down, revealing the shattered windows behind. The chandelier lay in pieces on the floor, along with part of the ceiling. The reception desk had been reduced to a pile of kindling, and there was a large group of workers cowering in fear behind it.

"There is only one explanation for this. The Demon and the Death God are here." Mutsu concluded.

Minato could see two figures in the corner interrogating a terrified receptionist.

"Hey! Get away from her!" Minato yelled. The two figures turned to look at him and the receptionist dashed off. As the figure turned her head, Minato's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yukari?" Minato asked as he pulled off his mask.

"Minato?" Yukari asked as her brother revealed his face.

* * *

Tsukiumi let the tears fall from her face as she heard the words leave Homura's mouth. Did he really think of her as a piece to manipulate? Or was he lying to defend himself? She had no idea what to think. The Homura she had come to know would never have said something like that. Was it all an act? Did he really care about her? She decided that she should go up to the roof to get some fresh air.

Homura could not believe the words that had left Miya's mouth. But why had he taken such offense to them? After all, he didn't really care about Tsukiumi. She was just a pawn to him. Sure, she was the only person besides Chiho who showed so much affection for him, but that didn't mean anything. He had to go get some fresh air.

* * *

"Your sister?" All of the Sekirei cried out in unison.

"And the new Ashikabi of the Discipline Squad! I talked to Natsuo and Minaka and they agreed that it would be for the best." Minato announced happily. All of the Sekirei paled as they realized that the Demon and the Reaper were brother and sister.

Just as Yukari opened her mouth to speak, the elevator dinged and Takami stepped out.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Minato asked.

"Takami is your mom?" Karasuba asked.

"Wait, how do you know her?" Minato asked.

"Minato, the truth is, I'm the head researcher here at MBI."

"But you said you worked for a pharmaceutical company!"

"Well, MBI dabbles in pharmaceutical supplies." Takami said, rubbing the back of her head.

"The point is, that since both you and your sister are working here, I decided that you should know the truth about your family. Don't judge for what I'm about to say. Minaka is your father." The Sekirei could have just fainted there, "But that doesn't mean you have to work for him. I never wanted you to be involved with the Sekirei Plan, but since you are my children, I want you to make your own decisions."

Minato suddenly felt light headed. He had always assumed that his dad was a deadbeat, not the chairman of a multibillion dollar company.

"Also, I need to warn you. Although Minaka is your father, he is more committed to the Sekirei Plan than he is to his children, so please try to stay out of trouble." Takami pleaded.

"Takami! Where are you?" The intercom blared.

Takami shot her children an apologetic glance and left the floor.

* * *

While the other Sekirei were busy getting to know Yukari, Karasuba was on her way to go train in the dojo when she heard noises coming from inside. She gingerly opened the door a crack and peeked inside.

Karasuba could see Mutsu training with his sword, shirtless no less. The tatami mats that made up the floor were slick with his sweat. She stood speechless as she admired Mutsu's figure. His muscles rippled with every powerful yet controlled movement. His six pack clenched and relaxed with as he gracefully swung his sword through the air. His pale chest heaved as his muscles gasped for oxygen.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare all day?" Mutsu suddenly spoke up, catching Karasuba by surprise.

She quickly decided to walk inside and tried to take a deep breath to calm herself down. She had never seen Mutsu shirtless before and was shell shocked by the experience.

"I'm sorry for staring." Karasuba said with her eyes pointed to the ground, trying to keep herself from staring at Mutsu's half naked body.

"It's not a big deal." He said.

"Why are you training alone?" Karasuba asked.

"I need to get my mind off of some things." He looked at Karasuba, "Don't you ever feel guilty?"

She looked up, confused, "About what?"

"We're killing our brothers and sisters. Don't you ever feel like you're scum for doing that?"

Honestly, Karasuba was always too caught up in the delight of seeing blood spill to think about that.

"Or am I just crazy?" Mutsu asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Karasuba quickly ran to his defense, "Of course not! There's no way I would ever consider you crazy."

"At the least, I'm a hypocrite. I want to keep the others safe but, I don't think I could ever leave this place. This place, from where I go out and kill the other Sekirei."

"Stop putting yourself down." Karasuba said before she hugged him, "Honestly, I wish that I could be more like you."

She knew that he probably thought she was just complimenting him, but it was the truth. She wished that she could doubt her own actions like he did. Then maybe, she could control her urges. But instead, she knew that she would never be able to change who she was. Maybe that was one reason that she loved him. She wanted to control herself, and no one had ever been able to keep her desires at bay like Mutsu could. When she was with him, she didn't want to kill. He was the only one in the Discipline Squad who had accepted her from the beginning. When she was around him, she felt like she didn't have to prove herself to him, or make him feel her pain because she knew that he suffered inside as well.

Mutsu was surprised by the sudden embrace, but placed his arms around Karasuba. It was odd, but when he held her, he felt his guilt melt away, even if for a moment. Something had always drawn him to her beyond the physical attraction, and now he knew what it was. She was pained, just like him. When he held her, he felt like he was helping someone. He saw how fragile Karasuba was behind her tough exterior, and helping her made him feel like he was atoning for his mistakes. It was as if he thought that he would be forgiven if he could at least help her.

More than that, when they were together, he felt a little stronger because they knew that he had someone else who was scared, and that he didn't have to face the world alone. It was strangely comforting for him to know someone else as fragile as him.

"Thank you."

Realizing that she may never get Mutsu alone again in the near future, she decided to follow Minato's advice and reveal the truth about her feelings. As much as she was scared to tell Mutsu, he had to know before she even had a chance of developing a relationship with him.

"I need to confess something to you." Karasuba said as her eyes met the ground again.

"What is it?" Mutsu stopped his embrace to listen to her.

"I…I…" Karasuba was shaking in fear now. What if he rejected her? What if he decided that they couldn't be friends because of what she said? Her mind ran through countless decisions, but she finally made up her mind.

"I love you."

Mutsu smiled, "I love you too. You're one of my best friends."

"That's not what I mean." Karasuba said, standing up, "This is what I mean." Without hesitation, she grabbed his shoulders and smashed her lips onto his. Mutsu's eyes widened in shock. Sure he always sorta had a thing for Karasuba, but he never thought that she actually liked him too. He had only ever thought of them as comrades, and maybe friends, but never as lovers.

The kiss was nothing like he would have expected from Karasuba. It was gentle, tender, and filled with emotion. His suspicions about her had been confirmed. Deep down, she really needed someone who would love her and help her face the struggles of everyday life. She let him go and looked away shyly.

"I had no idea." Mutsu managed. His brain was still fried from what had just happened.

"I've had a crush on you ever since I saw you for the first time."

"I did too." Mutsu admitted.

Karasuba looked at him with joy all over her face, "Really?"

Mutsu nodded.

Karasuba jumped for joy and glomped him. He was completely caught off guard and fell to the floor with Karasuba on top of him. He found himself laughing at the loving gesture and gave Karasuba a quick kiss on her forehead. She got up first and helped her new boyfriend to his feet.

Mutsu leaned in, "I now know why I could never leave this place."

Karasuba shuddered at his close proximity, "Why?"

"You." He whispered before he closed the gap between them.

* * *

"Did you mean it?"

"What?"

"Did you mean what you said?" Tsukiumi asked impatiently. The two had run into each other on the roof and Tsukiumi wanted answers.

"Well…" Before he could answer, his face was met by a slap that knocked him off of his feet.

"I guess I deserved that." Homura groaned as he made sure his neck wasn't broken.

"I need some time alone." Tsukiumi said, walking past the dazed Sekirei.

* * *

All eyes were on the two as they walked to the dining table holding hands. Minato merely looked at the two and gave her a thumbs up while Kazehana was fuming at Karasuba's smile.

Mutsu had never had a girlfriend, so holding hands was a foreign concept to him. Luckily, Karasuba had seen enough romances to know that humans often held their hands when they were dating. The two shyly held hands and Mutsu gently led Karasuba. They almost looked like a high school couple on their first date.

As soon as dinner ended, Yume went with Karasuba to her room. She knew that she was always welcome, as the two were best friends. At first sight, it seemed like an odd relationship, but when it came down to it, Yume had Krasuba's back and vice versa. Yume had been seen as a bit of a heretic for her aversion to fighting, and Karasuba always felt a bit excluded from the rest of the Discipline Squad, so the two naturally bonded together.

"So tell me, what happened?" Yume asked Karasuba, who was currently changing.

Karasuba turned to face her friend with an excited face, "We're going out now. Apparently he's always liked me, but was always too scared to tell me."

Yume grinned at the good news, "So he's okay with your sadisticness?"

Karasuba nervously twiddled her thumbs, "I haven't exactly told him yet."

"Well you'll have to tell him eventually."

"But what if he's scared off? I finally asked him out. I can't ruin it by scaring him away. Right now, I'm just going to enjoy what I can get right now." She said as she looked for something that Mutsu would like.

Yume watched her friend in concern. She wasn't sure that Mutsu would appreciate dishonesty in their relationship, but she trusted Karasuba enough to make her own decisions. For now, all she could do was help her friend.

"Wait one second." Yume said as she dashed out of Karasuba's room. She returned moments later. She quickly forced Karasuba into the red satin chemise she had brought back for her.

"You're lucky that we're about the same size." Yume said, "Now go out there and get your man."

Karasuba quickly hugged her friend and walked outside of her room, where Mutsu was waiting, wearing only boxers and an orange shirt. Mutsu felt all of his blood rush below the belt as Karasuba appeared in the doorway of her room.

"So, let's hang out." He managed to stutter out. In response, Karasuba wrapped herself around his right arm.

He led her to the couch and began searching through the movies that they had in stock. He wasn't exactly sure what she would want to watch. He knew that for a first "date," if it could even be considered that, it was rather pedestrian, but the most important thing was that the two of them would spending time together.

Karasuba could tell that Mutsu was struggling, so she decided to help him out. She crawled over to his hunched form, which was scanning the bookcase of movies.

"How about this one?" She asked, pointing to a silver case. Mutsu pulled it out and was a little shocked at her choice, but went along with it.

They were watching The Expendibles 2 and it wasn't any different from the first one. It was just a lot of action, some cheesy catchphrases, and a lot of blood, but Karasuba seemed to be enjoying herself. Deciding that he should too, Mutsu sat back in his seat and kicked his feet up on the table in front of him. He let his arms relax and deciding to take a chance, carefully put his arm around a surprised Karasuba. She was a little surprised that he would actually do that, but wasn't going to complain anytime soon.

Mutsu was actually starting to get into the movie when he felt a body rubbing up against him. He looked over to see Karasuba pressed up against him. He definitely wasn't going to be able to watch the movie now. He relaxed and let her lean her head on his shoulder. She was contentedly snuggling him, not realizing the effect that she was having on him. She didn't want to admit it to Mutsu, but watching guys get riddled with bullets onscreen was really turning her on. How was she ever going to explain that? She knew that there was a good chance that it would all come crashing down on her if she told him the truth, so she decided that all she could do until then was to enjoy every moment with him. With a contented sigh, she moved her head to his chest and tried to forget about the future.

* * *

**I haven't see Expendibles 2 yet, so don't take my description of it as accurate. I mostly used it because it seems like the kind of movie Karasuba would enjoy. As usual, I would really appreciate any reviews I can get for this story. Again, I have a poll up on my profile, so if you're interested in a Sekirei crossover, it would help me to write one if you voted on it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry, I know that this chapter is really short, but I made up for it with some action. Thanks to anyone who reviewed this story so far. I know that this chapter probably isn't the best, but it's something.**

* * *

Chapter 7

"Why don't we ever act like that?" Benitsubasa questioned Minato. He was filling out some paperwork at the bar and Benitsubasa was by his side observing Mutsu and Karasuba.

"Erm." Minato was clearly still uncomfortable around women.

"Come on, I was your first Sekirei, doesn't that mean anything to you?" Benitsubasa questioned.

"Of course it does, I'm just not good with this stuff."

Benitsubasa pouted, sometimes she really wished that Minato would be more assertive.

* * *

Tsukiumi had been standing outside of the door for a few minutes, debating whether she should go in or not. She opened the door halfway and peeked inside to see Chiho reading a book in bed. The blond Ashikabi noticed movement and looked up to see Tsukiumi peeking at her.

"Hello Tsukiumi, what do you need?" She asked sweetly.

"Do you have time to talk?"

Chiho smiled. Tsukiumi normally never wanted to talk to her, so it was a refreshing change.

"Of course!" She patted to a spot next to her on the bed. Tsukiumi sat down and looked down at her hands.

"How well do you know Homura?"

Chiho thought for a moment, "Pretty well. I've never asked about his past or anything, but he's always willing to help me, what's wrong?"

"I overheard him telling Miya that he was just using me." Tsukiumi said with tears welling up, "Am I really just a pawn to him?"

Chiho frowned. She hated seeing any of her Sekirei upset.

"I'm sure he has a good explanation for all of this. Homura doesn't seem like the kind of person who would manipulate people. In the year I've known him, he's never lied to me. I think that if you talk to him, you'll get a better understanding of the situation."

Tsukiumi felt a smile creep up her face.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that."

Maybe she should really go to Chiho more often.

* * *

"Send help! I repeat, send help!" The guard tried to yell before his walkie talkie was smashed by a staff. He looked up to see a green haired Sekirei in a very revealing blue and white top towering over his prone form.

"Now I can't have you alerting the rest of the building, so I guess I'll have to silence you." Higa said coldly as he took aim at the guard, letting his finger tighten around the trigger of his pistol. The bullet that entered his brain silenced his scream. Nonchalantly, Higa returned his pistol to its holster and flipped open his phone.

"Kakizaki, has your operation alerted anyone?" Higa asked his trusty assistant.

"Not yet sir, we've secured the target."

Higa smiled. Everything was going according to plan.

"Good. Get the extra one to Mikogami. We know how the boy likes treasure." Higa ordered as he snapped his phone shut. He gave a smile as Toyotama moved on ahead to beat another guard with her staff. Revenge would be sweet.

* * *

Homura was still glued to the same spot where Tsukiumi had slapped him. Why did it hurt him so much? It's not like he hadn't been slapped before. What made this one different?

He looked at the sun, which was setting in the horizon. He bathed in the golden glow and tried to clear his mind.

* * *

Minaka was fumbling around on the computer in his office when his phone rang. The man adjusted his white lab coat before he reached across the glass pane that made his table and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Higa Izumi here. I'm just calling you to tell you that you are either going to give me the Reaper right now, or I'll destroy your precious tower." Higa sneered from his end.

"Hah!" Minaka began cackling wildly, drawing a concerned look from his secretary, who could see right through the glass walls of his office.

"You must be mistaken. For a moment there, it sounded like you thought you had leverage."

Higa was astounded at the chairman's insanity, "Don't I? I have your tower infiltrated and your guards defeated. I would say that's leverage in my eyes."

"That's where you're wrong." Minaka gave one last chuckle and hung up. Higa cursed as he closed his phone.

Toyotama kneeled in front of her Ashikabi, allowing her dark green hair to drape over her face, "Master, we've taken out all of the guards on this floor."

"All right, we need to keep moving." Higa ordered from the cubicle he was standing in. They were currently standing on the third floor, which resembled a regular office building. He managed to take one step before a blast of light stopped him in his tracks.

"Did you really think that you could do so much damage without alerting us?" Minato asked from behind the skull mask that hid his face. Behind him stood the Reapers, as well as Yume, whose outstretched arm was still smoking.

"I'll take them on Master." Toyotama reassured as she stepped in front of her Ashikabi. Benitsubasa growled and got into a fighting stance. As she moved to attack Toyotama, a large bladed disk came flying at her. She realized too late that she would not have time to duck and instead tried to put up her arms to block it as best she could. With a clang of metal, the disk fell to the ground at the hands of Minato's makraka.

Oriha quickly ran up to her master's side with another disk at the ready, accompanied by two familiar Sekirei.

"Aren't those two Nina and Hari?" Benitsubasa wondered to herself. Minato nodded and his eyes narrowed in anger as he saw Mutou and Kunimitsu appear behind Higa.

"How could you two betray us like this?" The two merely looked back with apologetic stares.

However, Minato did not notice the sadness in their eyes and was insulted by the lack of a response.

"All right, I guess I won't show any mercy then." Minato said, fuming underneath his mask. He turned to Yume, who was charging up another blast.

"Just go and help out Yukari."

"But I was assigned to help you." She protested.

Minato shook his head, "I would prefer if less people were around to see what I'm going to do next."

Yume gave in and walked back towards the elevator. Minato waited until the door closed before he turned to Higa.

"All right, if you're going to anger me, you'll pay the consequences." He growled as he stomped up to Nina. Before anyone could react, Minato quickly swung the curved blade at her torso, embedding it deep inside her stomach and causing her to howl in pain.

Immediately, Benitsubasa leaped into action and grabbed a nearby computer, smashing it on top of Toyotama's head. Mutsu moved in quickly on Oriha, who tossed a disk at him to buy herself enough time to dodge his swing. Karasuba turned to Hari with an evil glint in her eyes. She began taking slow, deliberate movements towards the terrified Sekirei.

As he pulled out the metal, blood flowed freely from the open wound. Minato quickly stabbed the blade through her white dress, causing Nina to cough up blood. The white was quickly stained by the blood that had begun to spray out. Minato pulled the makraka out and allowed his victim to collapse into a pool of her blood.

"Nina!" Mutou ran up to his Sekirei, but it was too late. She was beyond any sort of medical help. Mutou's eyes flashed with anger as he tackled Minato to the floor. About a month ago, Minato would have not been able to do anything but get pounded by the larger man, but after training with Karasuba, his fighting ability had increased dramatically. He deftly dodged two punches from the enraged Ashikabi and sent the man flying with a kick to the chest. Minato quickly picked himself up as he now stood over the dazed Ashikabi. Grabbing him by the collar, he tossed Mutou into the wall of a nearby cubicle.

As he did that, Karasuba had managed to corner the terrified Hari.

"Please don't do this." Hari pleaded, hoping for a glimmer of mercy in Karasuba's eyes, but she got none.

Karasuba was too far gone to register what the Sekirei had just said. She slowly raised her sword above her head, relishing the fear in Hari's eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, Mutsu watched in horror as Karasuba decapitated the defenseless Sekirei, who crying out for mercy. Before he could observe any more, he was face to face with a bladed disk. He raised his sword up just in time to deflect the first blow, but he wasn't able to react in time as he received a punch in the gut. He wildly slashed his sword, hoping to catch Oriha off guard. The smaller Sekirei had managed to get out of the range of his sword, and watched the silver haired man swing wildly with glee on her face. She readied another blade, but suddenly felt a piercing pain in her chest.

"What just happened?" She asked as she looked down to see a blade poking out of her chest. As her eyes widened in horror, she felt the blade leave her chest and was quickly flipped to the ground.

"Don't you dare touch my boyfriend!" Karasuba screamed. As Oriha tried to pick herself up, a desk slammed her back to the ground. She grimaced in pain as Karasuba pulled her up by her hair.

"I'm going to make you pay, and I'll make sure you'll feel everything." She harshly dropped the Sekirei back to the ground and raised her sword above her head. She relentlessly brought her sword down again and again on Oriha, who crying for mercy, but would not receive any. Karasuba had already stabbed dozens of holes into her back, but had taken special care to avoid any vital organs so Oriha could feel the pain of bleeding out. Oriha could barely register the pain anymore and felt her eyes closing.

"Don't faint on me!" Karasuba yelled as she grabbed the back of Oriha's head and smashed her face into the ground, keeping the girl conscious.

"That's enough, I'm fine." Mutsu said as he held Karasuba back. Overjoyed that he was okay, Karasuba completely forgot about the girl. She dropped her sword and Oriha managed to smile now that all of the pain was fading away.

"I was so worried." Karasuba said, throwing her arms around Mutsu's neck and squeezing him tightly.

"Sorry to ruin the moment, but do you two mind helping me out here?" Benitsubasa asked as she kept Toyotama at bay. The green haired woman continuously swung her staff at the pink haired Sekirei, looking for an opening all the while.

A grin came onto Karasuba's face, "Gladly." She grabbed her sword and strolled over to assist Benitsubasa.

Higa himself was shocked at the brutal way his Sekirei had been dealt with. He slowly backed away as Minato removed his blade from Mutou's chest and flicked the blood off. To his right, he could see Toyotama being overwhelmed by the combination of Benitsubasa and Karasuba, who had already broken her staff and was now repeatedly stabbing the green haired Sekirei while Benitsubasa choked her from behind. To his left, Mutsu was in the middle of performing a mercy killing on Kunimitsu, as he did not want the boy to face the wrath of Karasuba and Benitsubasa.

He decided that now would be the best time to run, as he knew that he would be killed if he stayed behind. Luckily for him, the others were too distracted to see him run away.

"I won't forget this, Reaper." He muttered as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

* * *

**I know some people might be disappointed that Higa's still alive, but it doesn't seem to make sense to kill someone important this early, so I won't do it. Unfortunately, I'm not sure when the next update will be. Honestly, I kind of lost my inspiration for this story. The worst part was, I lost it halfway through this chapter, which is why it might seem like it was a little rushed. I actually took a week to write this out, which is pretty pathetic considering that in a week, I can normally push out at least 8,000 words, but I managed 2,000 for this story. **

**I don't know why, but I really felt like watching Highschool DxD and Code Geass this week, and those two shows inspired me for some reason. I'm actually putting up a Code Geass and Highschool DxD crossover, so if you're interested, check it out. It was the only thing that I was actually inspired to write this week. So sorry to disappoint, but the next update might take a while. **

**On another side note, I've been racking my brain to find a way to make a Rosario + Vampire and Sekirei crossover. I was thinking that Minato took over MBI and decides that Sekirei need to learn how to fit in with humans, so he sends all of the Sekirei to Yokai Academy. Then, Homura, Tsukune, Mutsu, and Shiina form a host club (this part came courtesy of Ouran High School Host Club). It would help me if you guys could respond to that idea in your reviews or PM me. **

**Sorry for taking up too much of your time! **


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